I love the process of making art. I am lucky to have a studio in my garden filled with many of my favourite materials, pictures and other ephemera. Preparing substrates, sourcing collage material, mixing paint; it’s like a ritual. I get lost in the physical act of putting paint, collage, pastel and other media together. I feel like I enter another dimension where time is irrelevant and the artwork that emerges comes intuitively.
I get inspiration in many ways. It can be by going to an exhibition, listening to music or reading a book and being motivated to explore an avenue of thought that has been triggered in me. Sometimes it‘s by walking, driving or swimming and noticing what I am experiencing. I take photos, make sketches or record verbal descriptions. I also like to collect elements such as pieces of discarded paper, bark, leaves, sand, shells, etc.
Of course, in the process of making art there are challenges. I see the visual challenges that I’ve created and have to focus on how I will move forward. Sometimes it involves covering whole sections with paint or collage; other times the artwork needs the addition of tonal contrasts or defined shapes. It’s the movement and energy that is required that I find so satisfying and absorbing. At some stage, I look at the work and I know it’s complete.
I often work in multiples. Thoughts and ideas will start buzzing around in my head and that's when I know I have to somehow start putting marks down on the substrate. In the intuitive process of making marks, my ideas will start to take shape, or I will be led down another creative path and I need to keep following it as it emerges.
I want my work to evoke curiosity so that my artwork will keep you engaged. I want them to spark questions what they remind you of, how they are made and how they make you feel.