Statement
The visual sources and inspiration for my work come simply from observing all kinds of people in all sorts of situations.
I ‘collect’ images of people from everywhere - often remembering a scene I have witnessed; sometimes responding to a fictional and/or historical character. I am very interested in storytelling, everyday magic, and the blurring of zones. Other things which inspire me are memory, reflections, imprints and history – things which I believe can survive through time.
Over the past few years I have been developing a mixed media technique which combines painting and printmaking in alternate layers. I mainly work with screenprinting and acrylic paint, adding drawing elements to the final piece.
The use of text is also an important part of my work, and I use it to form the printed layers of my pieces. Sources for the text include lists, letters, doodles, stories and newspaper articles. I am particularly interested in handwriting and have been collecting peoples’ lists and letters for some time. Recent work has utilized text from fairytales and fables - ancient and modern.
Often, during the layering process, words and phrases crop up in unexpected places, and I enjoy how this enables me to manipulate seemingly random juxtapositions. However, as the text is often deeply trapped in between figurative imagery, you may have to look quite hard to find the hidden message!
