Artist Statement

As an artist my primary concerns within my practise are using past events and memories to represent myself, though not through self-portraiture. I like to use metaphors, for example; the use of trees, which are both strong and tactile, to depict emotions such as anxiety or feelings of dominance, or the use of fences or cages that represent barriers we come accross in our day to day lives.

My work is as much about the process as it is the finished pieces, for example; when scratching an image onto acetate for a dry-point print it is the process which evokes past emotions, such as frustration, thus making the whole work from start to finish a way of reliving a story or journey I may have experienced.

Whilst researching my most recent work I have further developed my interest in psychoanalysis, specifically Sigmund Freuds writings on hysteria. The 'back bone' of my work stems from a large loss of memory, Freud discusses the possibilities of memory loss from mental or physical trauma and how these 'holes' in ones mind can be healed.

Mediums

Printing and drawing are my preferred mediums, however I have painted in the past and plan on doing so again! I enjoy the process of the print and the lack of control this medium allows me, particularly Monoprint. The unpredictable nature of monoprinting is all part of the appeal for me, you can never be sure what your image will look like when you peel back your paper! For me, monoprinting is like memory; you are recording in your mind, or on paper, an event or feeling, although it may not translate perfectly, and there is always a separation or a distance between the actual moment and the recorded one (eg: the reversal of the drawing on the monoprint, distancing the ‘artists hand’).

Drypoint (on acetate) is something I have used alot in my most recent work as it has been the most accessible and convenient way of producing my image. For the recent prints I have used a 'needle-fine' etching tool for all the marks, this has proved time consuming yet has allowed me a different perspective on what can be achieved in both line and texture using only one tool.

Inspirations

For inspiration I find I am drawn to many different things such as poetry, old diary pages, books, photographs, galleries, and craft markets as well as simply taking time in quiet surroundings, listening to sounds and watching nature. Nature particularly is a great influence, it is forever evolving: changes in weather, shadows, reflections and textures!

I record things that inspire me where possible using a digital camera and work from the images I have taken to aid my work, or use them for photomontage to challenge perspective and scale.

Artists

Louise Bourgois, Gregor Schneider, Mark Rothko, Richard Serra, Rachael Whiteread, Tracey Emin, James Casebere, Toba Khedoori...