Artist Statement

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As a music lover and musician, words and phrases capture my imagination, and I often paint objects, people and animals as symbols that reference a phrase or sentence. Wordplay, clichés, quotes, made up words, popular sayings, lyrics and puns are all used as inspiration.

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These ‘symbols’ are painted in an imaginary world of mostly empty landscapes, created from internet found photography, or photos I have taken. However, they are not directly copied because spur-of-the-moment, almost ‘automatic painting’ is what interests me most.

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The paintings are deliberately loose and imperfect, and the palette is limited with a focus on colour and light.

 

The ritual of painting is just as important to me as the final product. From curating what to listen to, choosing what brushes to use, preparing the room, to cleaning everything away at the end.

 

Imagery that ‘appears’ during the painting process is often incorporated into the design and the landscapes can therefore appear naive or child-like.

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There is only ever a focus on an individual or small group and the paintings sometimes personify human behaviour, acts and emotions.

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Goya, Bosch, Rego, Ensor, Redon, Turner, Beksiński, and Craigie Aitchison are some painters of many who are a key influence.