Artist statement

My work encompasses painting, sculpture, collage, and assemblage; often incorporating elements of each to make hybrid, cross-medium creations.

 In my recent work, I have been using man-made found fragments of wave-worn material and shards of photodegraded plastic gathered from the beach. These are serendipitous finds given up by the sea that have captured time through marks of attrition from the physicality of the elements. The marks and frayed edges give them a scrappy aesthetic that I am particularly drawn to, and I believe that giving prolonged attention to these materials is a means of bearing witness to nature’s co-existence with this man-made detritus that is becoming hidden by its commonness.

Also recently, I have been using wooden structures and hinges to present my work, this allows me to exploit the back of my paintings and provides me with another way to present my found objects. The back is traditionally concealed or forgotten and I am consciously choosing to make it visible.

Like Les Nabis artists used colour to abstract their landscapes I have taken my colour palette from the brightly coloured pieces of plastic found on the beach. Vibrant colours often associated with joyful sentiments but coming from a sinister source. My work is largely process driven, using the coastal landscape and ocean as a departure point, my paintings and creations arrive through the act of making.

The installation process is important to me. I am interested in translating the artist’s studio wall logic from beginning of idea, through development, to final realisation in the exhibition space, in an effort to intensify connection with the viewer.