My abstract work encompasses the pure essence of texture, colour, and form. It continues to be influenced by my studies in textile design and my late father’s extensive art collection of antique carpets, wall hangings, icons and artifacts. I construct my canvases by adding various papers, fabrics, wax, and continue by distressing and reworking the canvas several times, revealing previous layers, much as a multi-coloured woven cloth. This method of peeling away the layers, and combining wax, acrylics and oil sticks, allows me to achieve a rich tactile effect.
When I look at my figurative paintings, I see women from the past – ladies in their skirts, women posing for paintings, women sitting and being proper. For me, these ladies are no longer sitting – they’re resolute, they’re far from perfect. Time has reconfigured the playful and connected paper dolls of my childhood into solitary fragmented figures. Discarded remnants are used and reused towards new configurations, creating powerful figures. I use both gold and silver leaf paper in many of my paintings, creating a spiritual quality that most certainly has been influenced by the icons that were in my father’s art collection.
I find that the most challenging aspect of painting is maintaining the spontaneity of the piece, a quality that I believe is not always easy to achieve in a painting and yet is the single feature that allows you to feel the movement and life of a painting. It’s not always a discernible characteristic but distinguishes between a successful piece of work and that which is not. As I approach my work intuitively, I like to observe the competing mediums on the canvas, while attaining a sense of control and balance.
My most recent series for a group show, 32 Points- 32 Voices A Compass of Peace, is called, People Are A Hundred Different Things. The figures in this body of work are separated or divided by blocks of colour and lines and conversely are also connected. It’s a commentary on peace, and my belief that peace is a choice and that the lines of separation and hostility can be dissolved by less judgement on others. My work is an expression of the importance of human connection in our digital world where people may be interacting virtually but feel more isolated than ever before.
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