The Idiom Pot

“The Idiom Pot” series blends chance and choice, merging language, imagination, and visual storytelling. Inspired by the Cut-Up technique, where words are randomly rearranged to create new meanings, embracing spontaneity and surprise.

It all began with three random words: “Cup,” “Tree,” and “Chair.” What seemed nonsensical evolved into the first painting: A Storm in a Teacup. My partner recognised it as a familiar idiom, sparking the idea to explore more idioms through this intuitive method.

Instead of choosing words to match idioms, I let both the idioms and random words inspire each other. The idioms are selected for their visual potential, those that evoke an immediate and compelling image. The influence of Surrealist artists, known for blurring reality and dream, shaped the fluid, unexpected worlds of this series.

Each piece in The Idiom Pot is a playful, surreal interpretation of language, challenging viewers to see idioms anew. It’s a celebration of the unpredictable, where language and imagery collide to reveal the strange logic of the subconscious.