When I begin a painting, it’s the beginning of a journey to discover a creative path less traveled, in the final piece the viewer should be able to see this path. I feel exhilarated, excited and exhausted during the process of creating. If I discover a magic mix of marks, colours and textures I‘m elated. I hope that the viewer will have an emotional response to  my work, to experience the joy I feel when I’ve created something that will add light to a space, the equivalent to the effect that a spectacular firework display might have on a spectator.

 

I take inspiration from the work of abstract expressionists, in particular the work of Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly and Pat Steir. When I see any of their work my heart beats faster and I would be delighted if my work had that effect on the viewer.

I’ve long been inspired by words- literature, poetry and songs. I hear or read a phrase that I find moving or life affirming, and include it in the painting. I love hand writing, I enjoy the aesthetics of handwriting and I think it tells us something about the writer. It’s also something that will possibly die out as we all write less and type and more. Every piece I create begins with words, hand written or stenciled, they form the base that I build upon and by the end they maybe barely visible or have disappeared completely, but I know that they’re there supporting the painting. 

 

I don’t follow any hard and fast rules in my process, it’s intuitive and I’m led by the way the very mixed media react in the moment. The constants in my work are layers, light and colour. These mixed media paintings, which take months to complete, are more than decoration- the more time spent examining the piece will reveal an abundance of intricate details.  

 

My aim is to capture light by building a surface comprising of contrasting layers, made up of gestural marks, patterns and words, using acrylic paint, pigments, various mediums, metallic foils and gold leaf, continuously exploring the limits of these media, as part of a process that is ever evolving.

 

I use resin to enhance the colour, while also magnifying the marks beneath. Resin can be very difficult to control, like water it always finds it’s way, whether that is the intended path or not. I embrace the free flowing nature of the medium and use it’s  inherent characteristics to create works which show each step of their evolution, each bubble, crack and drip playing it’s part in the process and therefore the history of the painting.

As long as a painting is in the studio it remains a work in progress.