Artist Statement
I love the material—the sensuousness of paint on a brush, the sound of charcoal on gesso on paper, the tension of canvas on a stretcher, the temperature of metal and the softness of stone. I am absorbed by colour—its subtlety and its power, captivated by pattern—inherent and invented. I am compelled to notice the spaces between—to abstract from—and make connections between disparate things.
I love the concept—the sheer beauty of an idea. I am fascinated by the illusion of dichotomy, the presence of multiplicity and the truth of paradox. We live in a divide to conquer world. People are controlled and dis-empowered—divided along a multitude of fabricated lines. None of us is immune to the subtle and not-so-subtle conditioning that pits male against female, black against white, rich against poor, democrat against plutocrat, representational against abstract. It’s an insidious game of us vs them―a game in which we are forever right―but never win. |
I love the aesthetic—the poetry of visual metaphor—expressing the sublime in the absurd, revealing the sacred in the profane. I am deeply moved by art that transmutes to beauty from pain, all that is neglected, repressed, ignored, mundane.
I love the flow—the mindfulness of being, centred in the body, working in the space—the presence of my self in all its fallibility—on the journey with all my memories, hopes and dreams, joy, fear and pain—surrendering to the power of the process. I love the whole—the embodiment of the emotionally moving, intellectually stimulating, playfully provocative, spiritually uplifting and aesthetically beautiful, in the art I create. I strive to make meaningful work—to hold the universal in the particular; beautiful work—to engage the beholder; powerful work—to make a difference, however small. |