Blotter

‘Blotter’ won the John Moores Painting Prize in 1993. This was a turning point in Doig’s career and he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1994. ‘Blotter’ is regarded as one of his best works. The painting is based on a photograph of the artist’s brother standing on a frozen pond in Canada, where Doig was brought up. He pumped water over the ice to enhance the reflections. Of the painting, Doig has said: "The title refers to (amongst other things) the notion of one's being absorbed into a place or landscape, and to the process through which the painting developed: soaking paint into the canvas." The figure is looking down into his reflection to suggest inward thought. In Canada ‘blotter’ can also mean the carrier – blotting paper – used to soak up and share drugs like LSD.