This work is the culmination of Mccreedy’s career to date. It is highly auto-biographical as it pulls inspiration from all the sources that define him. Much like a writer maintains a diary, this grand piece serves as a means for Mccreedy to articulate his journey as an artist. Just as reading another individual’s personal reflections conjures up impressions of intimacy, vulnerability and empathy – so too does this work. There is a great deal of discovery and interpretation to participate in here, as is the case with the genre of auto- biography.
At the onset, it is laden with the recurring symbols and archetypes that populate Mccreedy’s canvases: images of nature, the butterfly, Venetian guards, a skull, the grand gestural abstract strokes that he uses to depict Chaos Theory and his signature blue pigment. However, upon further investigation, one can also see elements that differentiate this piece from both of those series as well. The first element is the addition of depictions of geographical locations that hold tremendous meaning for Mccreedy. The centre of the piece features two rather disparate images of trees. On the right centre square there is a row of Cyprus trees that Mccreedy encountered while on a weekend trip to the South of France. As ever, the long road and tunnel-like effect of the perpendicular trees spoke to him. In the left centre square are a row of Palms from his native Southern Africa (Botswana and Angola). The juxtaposition of these two tree images deeply reflect his reality as an expat living abroad, feeling most at home in nature. Infringing upon the Palms is an explosive white ray of light which extends to the upper left corner of the canvas coming to a crescendo in a majestic Alpine peek.
Another element that is differentiating in this narrative are Mccreedy’s precepts, sayings that have long attracted, inspired and captivated him. As this was worked on over many months, many of the precepts have been painted over, others remain partially visible and a few have been highlighted. The viewer is thus engaged in a game of decoding and deciphering. Finally, as this is all painted on former BDF (Botswana Defense Force, anti-poaching) ex-military tents that have been hand-sewn together, the medium on which the narrative is depicted, is in-and-of itself very poignant to him as a South African born artist living in the diaspora.
The result is a grand scale painterly narrative that is complex and multi-layered in its depth, impact and meaning; it is an essential account of Mccreedy’s work.
My Blue Narrative
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