Statement

I paint folded, nude figures nestled inside flowers where their bodies are suspended, cradled by petals. These flowers make a fragile refuge, but a welcome refuge nonetheless.

At a time of personal displacement and exhaustion, these images arrive as a record of longing for stillness and a sense of place. I am particularly drawn to hands and feet, the most expressive and practical parts of us that unwillingly reveal how we feel.

I’m drawn to oil paint by its physical qualities, often experiencing a visceral reaction in response to a spontaneous brush stroke. This sensitivity extends to its glide, its luminosity and the way transparent layers make a figure glow from within.

I am building a practice which bridges meaning and a real satisfaction in the experience of painting; a focus on the process as much as arriving at the result.

The natural environment, imagery in dreams, and the female form are a wellspring of material from which I can pull boundlessly. Perhaps what connects them is a desire to feel rooted, whether in a physical place or in the natural world. It is in the meditative act of painting that I come closest to finding this rootedness.