Surprised Face in a Cloud Painting

Hi Im PJ Riley, a British Grenadian Painter . I began painting after a 20 year period of mourning. I’d been to the Royal College of Art in London, and had a drawing in the Victoria and Albert before I was 22. I dropped off the map around the time my first son was born and didn't pick up a paintbrush until I started living in Grenada. Painting is the only thing that drowns out my inner critic: to jump inside a painting for a few hours is my equivalent to going to church. Im also somewhat agoraphobic so finding myself compelled to paint the vast spaces outside is cathartic. In addition I find myself increasingly socially anxious so I spend my time in the studio ( you are welcome to visit but ill probably start sweating) I’d rather stay out of the spotlight and let the paintings do the talking. All my work seems to be about thought and emotion but using the the connection between earth and sky, the passage of time , the changing nature of some friendships and the seeming immortality of others, and my parental concern for the future as a twisted kind of landscape.