Up until 1992 he had a studio in the now ‘respectable’
East End of London,
alongside contemporary artists Fiona Banner and
Rachel Whiteread. Here he
developed sculptures such as “Wanking Man” and “Stoned on Cigars”. He then
moved to the West Country to follow his ambitions as an artist in quiet
seclusion, with a mind to develop his work through a more rural way of life.
This has led to his work “growing up” with his young family and is now
maturing into a visual record and reflection of this personal journey.
Continuing in his early pieces to limit his sculptural palette, by combining
steel elements purloined from heavy industry with other everyday objects
such as keys, brushes and bedsprings, the work developed a humorous element
as studies of local characters, bearing titles like ““Oh My Stiff Quiff!”,
and ““Fat Boy Fitz”, culminating in a solo exhibition entitled “Face to Face”
in 1996. From this Geoff looked for more immediate ways of expressing his
many visions which resulted in his experimenting with mono prints, giving
direct and surprising results through this physical practice. However still
not satisfied with the ‘flatness’ of these works, paintings began to develop
in a very tactile and textural way. The surfaces of paintings such as ““Homo
Erectus” being almost sculptural and also bringing strong use of colour to
the work. Along with this it became clearer that the human body was to be
the main source of influence; using this image to portray a deepening unease
with the human condition and how life is just a temporary position, lived
collectively by varying degrees.
