I currently paint in gouache on paper. It allows me to explore my love of collage but create my own characters, and thus, my own narrative. Whilst my paintings have been described as a take on the Japanese idea of the ‘floating world’, for me they owe more to the Buddhist philosophy that all phenomena are mere appearances to the mind, that ‘colour’ and ‘form’ are merely imprinted in this life, and ultimately do not exist outside the mind that perceives them. Add to this, the pagan tree of life and the cyclic year, the paintings then become a metaphor for a world in transition, an expression of that ungraspable moment where Taxonomic forms interact with images from popular culture to give a dialogue to the journeys within this human life, and beyond.
The works of Alan Davie, Yayoi Kusama, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Richard Dadd have had the greatest impact on my own pursuit of expression. This relationship between colour and form in my paintings has equal importance: it’s about how they interact on paper; it’s their combined story; and ultimately, it’s about the actual craft of painting.
the hour of happiness, the hour of solitude
the journey from the self, to the inner self
we are in conflict with each other, advancing, retreating
brothers and sisters, bear your pain in silence
the countless petals of separation and death
the stages journeyed by my soul
awakening you from your fantasies and slumber
sweet joy return, and weep for me
wounded deeply, I remain here
existence, ever heavy on my shoulders, I return to the birth of the universe
