When paint is approached as like putty in a hand, it becomes a language, a conversation that manages to transcend and stubbornly defy lingual description. Through my practice, I have begun to tease out a way of producing imagery that connects me to the world in ways that I otherwise fail to do- it reflects a more authentic self than what I allow myself to present, in body, to the world.  As such, my works address both the joys and despair of contemporary life; most recently I have been focusing on ideas of the excesses and claustrophobia of a media-saturated society, issues that are widely reflected in contemporary painting today by artists such as Dana Shutz, Cecily Brown and Christina Quarles. However, my approach to these topics will never be literal- I work from my gut. As such, the work initially appears abstract- I pride myself on the rhythm and tempo I can create with a brush- but comes alive and heady with potential in the mind of the viewer. A lot of my work draws on our ability to associate: the intellectual leaps that one makes in view of a suggestive shape or colour that alludes to the figure.

After Abstract Expressionism, after photography, and in the wake of widespread artificial intelligence, I stand in an interesting position to question the role of painting today. In a world obsessed with progress, slick technological development and self-promotion, oil on canvas becomes a humble luxury that I happily indulge in! Using an array of images from both current and past culture I can begin to draw parallels between our reality and historical ones, distilling human experiences that, though they appear novel, are often linked to a more universal and timeless truth. It is from this point that many of my paintings begin, knowing that what impacts me will ring true for others- I want them to be like bruises, punching through the mundanity of everyday life. 

I know there are leaps and risks and failures that have yet to be made; there is more potential in both myself and my materials than I know how to manifest yet. In that space between, there is a lifetime of work to be made- paint’s oily weight unveils more about what it means to be human than most books I have read, as I’m sure many other painters before me have realised. It’s libidinal tactility, ability to transform and succumb provides a pleasure in itself, and has made time in the studio a daily necessity for me. My works are large and confronting, each saturated with their own vitality- I want to knock the viewer out of their internal dialogue, even momentarily. 

I’m intrigued by our world, by its bizarre structures and systems, and as an artist it is my endless task to speak of these things in images.