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Using a painterly language that melds intention and intuition, my work explores the changing relationship between the human being and nature. Using both abstract and recognisable imagery, I explore the materiality of paint through layering, gestural line and different types of mark making.

 

To fuel my paintings, I look at contrasting uses of plants and nature in design: specifically 19th century tile patterns, and painted placards used in protests. I am drawn to the visual language and functionality of each. Tile patterns are traditionally associated with femininity and craft: a domestic object, intended to blend in. In contrast to this, the designs on placards are visually loud, made with a sense of urgency, and are intended to be seen. I aim to explore an area in between decorative, functional design and abstract painting.

 

To do this, I borrow painterly techniques from other art movements, such as abstract expressionism. I emphasise patterns that appear accidentally, and use them to distort the sense of flatness and depth. I build layers over one another, leaving some exposed. The painted surface shows the viewer how it was created, especially in relation to the body. Gestural, calligraphic lines, anchored in the wrist, fingers, or elbow, create a kind of skeleton that structures each painting. These shapes morph between something organic and geometric, and hover between a sense of the body and something man-made.