There are two discreet but related bodies of work within this exhibition.
 
The still life paintings articulate the absence of people. People leave behind traces of their existence in the objects they touch and in the arrangements of those objects. They are spacious and minimal paintings and use minor passages of decoration to personalise images that are essentially formal in nature. Artists that have informed my process here are William Scott and Paul Klee.
 
The dog paintings are more direct and engaging than the still lifes. The dogs look at the viewer. Dogs have a long term relationship with our species. They are a metaphor for human beings and our journey through life. They are decorative, individual, scarred and possess a physical confidence. These works address issues of maleness and aspects of self.   I use white to create a dream-like surreal quality that suggests notions of time passing. I have been using the square format on a regular basis; I like the stability of this form and the challenge of composing within it. My compositions are designed to counter and subtly antagonise the stability of the square. My colour schemes have a symbolic language: earth colours represent the elements while the primaries represent light and its spectrum. I employ a mixture of surface finishes to create a variety of visual stimulation. The formal qualities I use aim to effect the viewer; to make them feel they are in the presence of something human, something authentic and something very rare.

 John Geise Biography