"At first glance the subjects of my artwork may appear familiar, easily recognisable and realistic. But look closer and they become more intriguing, even disturbing. This is because I want to create a vivid emotional response and a feeling of uncertainty.
After people have noticed the unexpected and surprising nature of the images, the detail and layers encourage you to take an even closer look and to explore beyond the surface. A multitude of metaphors emerge and connect. Time is handled as if it were a great simultaneity where everything in a person's history can happen all at once, revealing the complexity of our sentient experience.
Some people have said, ”Your paintings are so uncomfortable." And others, "Oh, they're so funny." And yet others comment, “They're dark, and macabre.” My view is they are all of these things. After all, that's the human condition, isn't it? Overlapping and potentially contradicting feelings, emotions and reactions to being crazy in this crazy world!
My most recent work explores ideas of ‘self’, societal relationships, both physical, emotional and psychological and the inevitable cognitive dissonance that fear and anxiety exacerbate. This is particularly pertinent personally as I had to leave work three years ago due to depression. The plus side is that I was encouraged to start making art again for the first time in over 30 years. I found this both therapeutic and cathartic.
My process, although digital, requires a lot of technique, skill, hand crafting and aesthetic consideration. Works are built up over time in a multi-layered, composite way, often from over a dozen source images. I see this technique as a metaphor for our thought processes which are often fleeting and hard to grasp, yet fascinating; producing a detailed mosaic that represents our reality which is itself constructed from these very thoughts and feelings.
Since rebooting my work in earnest in 2018, the digital composite pieces have been well received. For example, winning the ‘World Art Photography’ artistic award in 2019 and appearing on their magazine cover in May 2020."