Hovering Between

The series of portraits I produced last year have profound personal meaning for me. They were a poignant   reflection upon the transience of human life. As I developed photos of my ancestors in the dark room from old family negatives, the images resonated with me. Although the subjects were dead in reality, they breathed some kind of life afresh through the photographs. I began to paint the same image many times. Each painting assumed a different persona as I did. I thought of it in terms of "resurrecting"; attributing to this being a new lease of life in art world or speculating upon what her character could have been. I see her as hovering between a state of life and death.

I am glad that they have a good home now with Frank, a lovely man who bought them, and who lets me visit the paintings and him whenever I like.

Miguel Barcelo

Miguel Barcelo is one of my favourite contemporary artists. His paintings are full of life, feeling, vitality and expression. He feeds an energy and passion into the making of his paintings which then becomes so transparent in the viewing of them. The viewing experience standing before his paintings is always a generous one; uplifting, thought-provoking and reflective as it is. His work installed in Church spaces, seems to follow in the gothic tradition of Antonio Gaudi.

I first experienced his paintings first-hand in a retrospective held in the Caixa Forum, Madrid in 2010. The surface is thickly encrusted with paint and speaks of the crude process by which the paint in applied. He seems to cut to the heart, expressing emotion powerfully. Not delicate or fearful in his mark-making, he boldly and forcefully, speaks visually with such conviction. He reminds me that in order to convict my audience, I must first be convicted of what I am doing myself. Painting must speak of truth and belief.

Vehicles for Expression

"If I had a Boat" by James Vincent has become a favourite song of mine for its beautiful visuals, lyrics and the musical talent it displays. Watery images influence me greatly because of my upbringing by the sea, which has shaped me. I love that the tide always has a mood so reflective and thought-provoking as though the waves carry whispers that transcend time. Recently the human form submerged beneath water has spoken to me, inspired in particular by Pre-Raphaelite painters, such as John Everett Millais and JW Waterhouse. 

I am drawn to figures suspended in space, hand gestures, old ruins and profound natural surroundings, particularly of water. These are things to me that epitomise humanity and express tangibly and gesturally how we relate to the world around us. I use poetic, metaphorical, symbolic devices to point to higher meaning. My stance is philosophical, reflecting my Christian faith. Myth, history, mystery and spirituality often enter my work.

A visit to St Botolph's building, Liverpool Street

I recently visited my painting, The Reader, in the Clyde and Co Offices, St Botolph's Building. I was impressed with the building itself which had wonderful panoramic views of central London. The presentation of work was of a high standard and the work itself selected from London Degree Shows (Chelsea, Wimbledon and Central Saint Martin's) was interesting. It is a great opportunity! I am so grateful to Clyde and Co who run this annual Community Art Project to offer emerging artists a good start to their artistic career.

The Completed Commission

Here is the commission I have been working on since October 2011 (which I completed in January 2012) in Orbis Accountancy Office, Wimbledon. Orbis offer this award annually to graduates from Wimbledon College of Art and I was fortunate enough to be the winner this year with my proposal. It made me very happy! I went to visit the installed paintings in February and I felt so satisfied seeing them up as I had envisaged them when I was thinking about how I could use the space. The series of four paintings was inspired by the upcoming 2012 London Olympics. I travelled back to England to paint them and thoroughly enjoyed the process. They are on loan for a year, then I will try to place them in a public building or office.