Beyond the Surface of Seeing

"Beyond the Surface of Seeing" best describes the way I approach my art, both in content and in its creation.

I am aiming to get to the "essence" of a feeling, often referring to nature as a starting point; my interpretation of what we can see and what we can't; the structure which underlies rhythms and movements stripped down and distilled to pure energy. The "backs" of my artworks are the equivalent to these unseen energies, where often the reverse side of my canvas will inform the "front" e.g. syringing through a "hidden grid" or sewing and rippling pins through paper. This method of working resonates with the idea of cause and effect and how everything is linked and exists, even if we can't see it.

The recurring theme of how emotions can be visually descibed has been my obsession throughout my career, as has the religious concept of light, dark, loss and hope, order and chaos. I look toward nature as a metaphor, where shadows shift and emotions change. I see this shadowy area as a merging or crossover between two possibilities where change occurs. I see it as a transitional place, a disruption, where consciousness and order "slips".

The word "emotion" comes from the Latin "emovere", meaning "disturbance" or "disruption". I pursue this idea in all my works by creating structured working systems then disrupting them, letting go of order and control to chance and spontaneity.

The scale of my artworks are important to me. I move between large scale gestural paintings to small and obsessive pieces, drawing parallels between the grand scales in nature and the minutae of energies unseen.

I am interested in the use of "empty" space within my work, silent, yet active, where captured moments of intensity such as the accumulation of marks, drips, or heightened colours harmoniously emerge. I am also interested in the disharmony created when many movements, rhythms and spaces converge.