Practice Statement

My artistic practice is largely centred around experimentation and process-driven artwork. I continuously explore different mediums and techniques to create unique and meaningful pieces. I do this through drawing, painting, illustration, decollage, graphic design, and, more recently, creating with algae-based bioplastics.

My artwork is heavily influenced by my personal life experiences, with a style that is often gestural and leans towards abstract expressionism. My creative endeavours are often an escape for me, and drawing, in particular, is a cathartic process for me and a place I find flow. I love to see the beauty in the underdog, I will look for magnificence in something mundane and often be compelled to try capture the “beauty” of what I see photographically.

While I enjoy the research that comes with informed projects, I also appreciate the spontaneity and unpredictability of experimenting in my practice. As a result, I often go on tangents and deviate from projects because I need the stimulation of doing something new.

It is important to me to consider the environment in my practice. I am not obsessive about it but have an awareness, and I will upcycle and use found objects if I can. Working with algae-based bioplastic is fascinating for me due to its traits, some of which make it challenging to work with. I like that I do not have complete agency over the medium, as it behaves in its own way during the curing process. Making something with it is more like an ongoing conversation than a process with an end. It has some attitude. The unpredictability of outcomes this material presents is important at the stage I am at in my art practice as it teaches me to let go of that need for control.

For me, the process of making artwork, overcoming challenges and the knowledge I get from creating a work is often more important than the final outcome. In saying that, presenting my work in a neat and tidy way is important. I strive to challenge myself to try new things in my practice, pushing through my perfectionist tendencies and need for structure and control. Through my experimentation and multidisciplinary approach, I like to create meaningful and informed artwork but I also enjoy making something quite random for no other reason than just for the love of creating.

STUDIO MANIFESTO

Studio Manifesto

In 2022 I made a manifesto for my practice, these are things which I like to do in my practice and sometimes need to remind myself to do.