A significant source of inspiration for this new series of paintings is T. S. Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’. The poem, rich in literary metaphor, is a visionary reaction to the desolation of the First World War, but with a resolute belief in hope and renewal. It is this notion of renewal that is of particular interest to Stewart as he develops his own vocabulary of visual metaphor, and strives to create images with emotional and psychological depth. He identifies with the great American abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler, who speaks of ‘interior landscapes’ - autobiographical abstracted worlds that possess the ability to materialise feelings and images that exist just below the level of consciousness. An extensive range of mark-making, collisions, harmonious couplings, and shocks and surprises are made when thick paint is applied directly from a tube or pulled across the picture surface with a trowel, and contrasted with light folds of poured paint that find their own form. The canvas becomes an open arena for painterly incident where chance and controlled gesture are reconciled by compositional structure. In some instances the titles of the paintings pay direct homage to ‘The Waste Land’, which once again connects us to Eliot and his belief that cultural mythology and the healing qualities of the natural world might ultimately bring salvation to a beleaguered society. Such inference is made to evoke possible generic interpretations, and perhaps the physicality, richness, and vibrancy of colour and form revealed in the paintings bring to mind a shared passion. Ultimately we are reminded to ‘revel in the ecstasy of being’, where transient moments can be captured in pictorial or literary suspense to disclose a sense of wonderment for life where continual renewal, redemption, and the pursuit of peace and understanding are central themes.