Watercolour on paper

Signed on the front.

Initially inspired by a series of Sleep Paralysis episodes, my paintings explore various aspects of identity and the nature of anomalous experiences. In my practice I use evocative, gentle washes of watercolour to build up luminescent layers of delicately pigmented colour. A fog of heavy white surrounds the faces, threatening to engulf the entities back into the expanse of blank paper. They retain the fleeting quality of temporary experiences and fading memories. This series of watercolour paintings were created while contemplating what makes up identity and the self, excavating unvoiced regrets and projected anxieties. We may bottle up our fears, desires and any shame too ineffable to voice out loud, these nonetheless make up parts of our identity. People often find it difficult to connect these darker aspects of the personality, and may project such qualities outward onto others, or see themselves split into different entities. The near-translucent figures can be seen as manifestations of the double, or the shadow of the self.