Artist's Statement
Inspired by current affairs and art historical references that may seem to be at odds, I use the figure, as a medium for questioning issues of invisibility: both in contemporary society and in the patriarchally dominated western canon of art history.
In work exhibited as Liberty and Europa I considered invisibilities, in art history; where women appear as allegorical or mythological figures, rather than as real people or artists, and in contemporary issues of injustice where themes lend themselves to contemplative thought, for example; the #metoo campaign, lack of recognition or inequality of opportunity. The property of paint to exploit the power of abstraction to flirt with the invisible and visible underpins Liberty 1 and Europa. Naming a painting after a classical work positions it in dialogue with historical issues that are still relevant to today’s socio-political discourse that inform my ongoing practice and may allow history to be seen in the light of contemporary values.
Mined from the influences of contemporary female artists including Cecily Brown, Rita Ackermann, Amy Sillman and the legacy of painters at the very centre stage of painting history, such as Soutine, DeKooning, Kline and Bacon, life and flesh are key elements. How paint can create marks and texture that depend as much on its unpredictability as on its physical manipulation.
The image is a catalyst to how my work evolves in paint: how it can slow down ephemeral digital imagery into something lasting and meaningful, how the size and scale of the image, its shape or orientation affect the outcome. It may be figurative or at its border with abstract; increasingly depending on the application of paint itself to physically convey mood, form and meaning in sculpting the pictorial space whether that be on canvas, board, paper or aluminium.
Inspired by current affairs and art historical references that may seem to be at odds, I use the figure, as a medium for questioning issues of invisibility: both in contemporary society and in the patriarchally dominated western canon of art history.
In work exhibited as Liberty and Europa I considered invisibilities, in art history; where women appear as allegorical or mythological figures, rather than as real people or artists, and in contemporary issues of injustice where themes lend themselves to contemplative thought, for example; the #metoo campaign, lack of recognition or inequality of opportunity. The property of paint to exploit the power of abstraction to flirt with the invisible and visible underpins Liberty 1 and Europa. Naming a painting after a classical work positions it in dialogue with historical issues that are still relevant to today’s socio-political discourse that inform my ongoing practice and may allow history to be seen in the light of contemporary values.
Mined from the influences of contemporary female artists including Cecily Brown, Rita Ackermann, Amy Sillman and the legacy of painters at the very centre stage of painting history, such as Soutine, DeKooning, Kline and Bacon, life and flesh are key elements. How paint can create marks and texture that depend as much on its unpredictability as on its physical manipulation.
The image is a catalyst to how my work evolves in paint: how it can slow down ephemeral digital imagery into something lasting and meaningful, how the size and scale of the image, its shape or orientation affect the outcome. It may be figurative or at its border with abstract; increasingly depending on the application of paint itself to physically convey mood, form and meaning in sculpting the pictorial space whether that be on canvas, board, paper or aluminium.