'the starting point '

   Denis returned to fine art after several years as a highly succesful designer-artist. In 1986 he was divorced from his wife which proved to be the significant factor for him resuming his need for a personalized way of expressing himself through art .
The painting on the left of the page shows a young girl on a swing which was taken from a snap shot of his daughter in Greece (circa 1984/5).  Measuring 120cm x 60cm the work is painted in oil on masonite board and goes beyond a simple 'copy from a photograph' exercise.
At the first impression it seems to be a straight forwarded reality scene, however closer inspection reveals the abstract qualities the painter applied to the background, (possibly the result of a poor reference the original photograph?)  However, it is evident that the work held a deep and emotional meaning to the painter which may have been in response for him abandoning the family home.  Or that he discovered a way of realising a visual which held within it emotional intelligence. It is known that he attended the 'impressionist' exhibition in 1986 at the Hayward Gallery, London, where he was 'overcome' by the very large triptyches  of the 'lilly-pond' works by Claude Monet. It can be assumed that this work propelled the artist into a mix of 'abstract and realism' which was of primary concern in Monet's later works (circa1923-1925).

It is interesting to note that the late Norbert Lynton (d.Oct 2007) highlighted in one of his many books on modern art 
'the lack of success' that contemporary artists had had with the integration of 'abstract and figuration' within a single work. That the painter arrived at it by accident is open to debate but there again a preconceived ideal is secondary to creating art, (ref: Picasso "if you find something by simply by  looking for it then its false" c.1960's).
Viewed from this standpoint 'Daydream' may take-on another value as an important example of 20th century art.

What is definite is that this work presented the catalyst for a total commitment by the artist into exploring art 
on a full time basis.  'Daydream' with hindsight was perhaps his first existential work.
In 1988 Denis left the UK and moved to Greece to concentrate on exploration of art focused on proving the 'existance' and the realisation of an 'independent force in the creation process of  visual art. 

Daydream.1.2mtrs x 1mt Oil on Masonite board. Collector: Artists Family Trust. Location UK.
for more extracts from the book click on Greek input