Within his work Randall comments on the turbulent relationships between life, including the relationships between humans, animals and the natural environment that exists around us. His works on the subject of caged animals reflects the upset, sometimes loneliness, of an animal in captivity and the way people view this with interest and fascination however, often overlooking the emotional healthiness and wellbeing of the animal. Our perception on life in the public domain is often superficial, not seeing the larger picture and therefore being blinded by a metaphoric image or show that plays out in front of us. However, is this insight into the feelings of animals and ourselves accurate or just an interpretation of an over stimulated thought process.
When examining the ballet series, the artist takes us on a journey behind the scenes to explore the dedication, sacrifices and sometimes the emotional and physical pain that ballerina’s endure as they fight to be the best, the long road to the top. As we sit in the auditorium watching the magic unfold before our eyes we interpret what we see as a fairy tale, a story, that is not real. However, the truth may be very different.
Randall uses blocks of colour to represent the idea that we place thoughts, feelings and emotions into compartments in our mind in order to make life more acceptable and tolerable, rather than being overwhelmed by the true facts. Randall’s pallet consists of raw and burnt siennas, deep reds and raw umbers to bring a feeling of darkness, subdued mood and a hostile environment that is a simile to the Australian landscape.
Our thoughts, emotions and actions dominate the way we conduct ourselves in society and Randall’s paintings can be used as a tool to question the way we look and examine each other, animals and the environment around us. Randall insists that the paintings stand only as a question and are no way an opinion or a fact about the subject they depict.