About

My practice focuses on portraiture, and in particular self-portraiture. I work in painting and drawing, using colours and line in a manner which excites me, rather than which faithfully represents the subject. I choose vibrant, primary colours that break from the traditional genre of portraiture, that deliberately appear as a painted surface rather than a portal. Bold, deliberate lines refer to the process of mark making and serve as a reminder of the artist’s presence in the work.

I use the human form as a vehicle to communicate and express theoretical ideas. No artwork can stand alone or avoid associations with other works. When oil paint is used it will hold the association of hundreds of years of painting, desired or no. In my work I like to acknowledge and appropriate this relationship, using deliberate references to historical works of art and traditional motifs. As a genre, portraiture is rich with symbolism and I am fascinated by the orchestrated world an artist can create, using the language of art to convey a chosen reality.

The genre of self-portraiture allows an unmediated communication between the artist and the viewer. I find working from my own image exciting; I have an intimate knowledge of myself and my appearance, and this allows me to explore new notions without a barrier of unfamiliarity.