Born in the North West of England, I grew up in a creative wonderland; thanks to my Mother's imagination and her ability to bring it to life! Art was always going to take my interest more than any other subject and at sixth form college I took inspirational lead from Artist-in-Residence, Ian Murphy. It was here I fell in love with the medium of paint and my life as an artist began... I started to develop my own artistic language at Dundee University (DJCAD), where my time was spent experimenting with poured abstract layers of paint alongside a relatively figurative style. These two elements still exist in my work today.
The first time I consciously felt I had created a body of work though was much later when I moved to Nashville, TN. My paintings during this time were a depiction of my life, torn in many respects between two worlds, my life in the U.S and the family I left behind in the U.K. I exhibited regularly at the Arts Center in Nashville's Centennial Park and remain thankful for the continued support of the Gallery Manager, Lena Lucas, a talented artist in her own right.
Now happily settled back in the UK, my love for my animals and family has taken a significant hold over my subject matter. An ongoing internal discussion is revealed onto the canvas as I express my views on the modern world and its impact on my furry (and not so furry) family. My latest body of work is called ‘Dog eat Dog’…
Dog eat dog… isn’t that the phrase? But my work is more Cat eat cat… a play on words as my paintings feature felines… but the same meaning applies:
We live in a world where we step over each other, chase careers, money and success with a hunger. The modern world changes so rapidly around us that our feline (and indeed canine) friends have no choice but to sit by our sides calmly watching the storm that is humanity; the rush of our daily lives. These paintings are stories, worlds where animals, creatures look out onto a human world with intrigue, wonder, worry and sadly fear. These works address the juxtaposition of both their lack of understanding alongside their deeper, instinctive feelings as well as their joy and participation in a human world where they have no control.
The concept of time versus place features heavily in my work as places and circumstances change and with them so does our impact on our furry friends and our loved ones. There are figurative pieces in my work which address the same joys, pressures, worries and fears of daily life… looking at time as a distortion of place, a distortion of feelings and of possibilities.
Ultimately, my work addresses the impact of the turbulent outside world, the effect on animals, human nature and on, what should be, the simple beauty of love and family. The images I create have moments of joy, moments of intrigue, moments of drama, moments of contemplation, moments of melancholy.
My work can be described as abstract meets realism with expressive layers of paint comprising of poured pools, splashes and brush details. Mark making, texture and colour are all important factors when I paint. I use acrylic paint which has an immediacy I find invigorating and a clear, true sense of colour which creates powerful contrast and vibrancy. My process helps to communicate the feeling and meaning behind the paint.
Hop over to the gallery page to see my work...
