Re-engineered Garments

Building on a prolific year’s work and two high profile exhibitions in 2007, John Squire’s col-lection of new art works for the Signal Gallery this Spring, illustrate his continuing desire to develop and experiment with a set of recurring mixed media motifs, whilst further pushing the boundaries of his current visual practise, and more confidently exploring the textures and lay-ers which his canvases bring to life.

Squire’s latest bold paintings move into the realm of collage, layering pieces of fabric and pat-terned paper, which interweave with thick splashes of scratched, layered wax, against a backdrop of hessian canvas. Squire integrates used, traditional garment fabrics as symbols of Englishness, which underlies this new collection of works, these classic fabrics also being authentic symbols of fashion, which have been re-appropriated through the ages by different movements and outlets, and reflect a homegrown identity, which Squire acknowledges. The use of these second-hand materials also creates a visceral connection between the work and the original wearer.