Fundamentally my work is about myself, the sitter and everything in-between. The paintings that I have made as a apart of the ‘In Between Two worlds’ show dwell on the solo effort of navigating through the world at a time of uncertainty and isolation. At once reminiscent of both a dystopia and a dreamscape, the paintings take the viewer on a serene journey through the feeling of being alone with one’s thoughts. By turns contemplative and at times playful, the paintings are an imagined vision of our current world. The subjects portrayed stand strong, traversing the chaos suggested by the barren landscapes. I explore the elegance, sophistication, and power of femininity, whilst also conveying a sense of vulnerability and self-examination. These ideas bind together to create a narrative that is vivid yet strange, mysterious, and atmospheric.
Though self-isolation has forced us to beat a path through rugged terrain, it is also a way for us to better know ourselves, to find richness in solitude and to reconnect with our inner being. We can shape our sense of grief and loss through expressing contrasting states of being; stillness vs movement, grace vs strength, struggle vs acceptance.
My process starts by first staging a photoshoot, the resulting images are then dissembled through collage to create multiple perspectives within the one composition. When I reach a balance between the found, cut, and created elements in the image, I then begin to construct the painting, using the collage as my guide, building up the density of colour slowly through successive glazes in oil. When producing a body of work, I immersed myself completely in each stage of the process, painting every day as a way of navigating through our complex world