Artist Statement

I create contemporary oil paintings on linen canvas and illustrations on paper and products. I invent visual narratives relating to themes around nature, identity and history. I use modern and vintage pops of colour in my artwork, with contemporary mark making, mixed with patterns and prints which together add a sense of fun, whimsy, and a colourful eclectic style to my art. I feature vintage and historical imagery which adds to the feeling of nostalgia.

Some of my seasonal themes in autumn have pumpkins and crows which reference American folk art and folklore. I am also inspired by authors such as Edgar Allen Poe who wrote The Raven and Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow. The Sleepy Hollow film by Tim Burton is a great example of all these influences. I feature all the seasons and natural elements in my work such as flowers, leaves, trees, seascapes, and landscapes from nature and birds, insects, butterflies, and wildlife.

I am interested in vintage, antiques, eclectic, American colonial, folk art and maximalist interiors and this interest informs my art. In works such as Grandparents and Rusty Truck with crows and Truck with Pumpkins, you can see the pops of colour for a modern twist mixed with painted patterns and prints such as stripes, plaids, and Scottish tartans inspired from popular culture. I find inspiration for modern and retro colour palettes from films such as Moonrise Kingdom and the changing colours of the seasons.

I have looked at artists first hand such as Alex Katz, David Hockney, Henri Matisse, Monet and Banksy. Visiting William Morris’s homes and seeing his work at the V&A, I have also been inspired by prints by William Morris and fashion such as Alexander McQueen and the sublime that finds beauty in the ugly found in nature.

The sandy-coloured raw linen and any collage elements are fully protected with a clear primer which allows it to remain visible and a feature in this work. I am interested in materials so with the negative space, I show the thick linen canvas with all the texture as a feature. You can get a sense of the scale of my paintings with the exhibition images of my artwork on the Exhibitions Page.