The pandemic has changed every ones life in some way or another, but people can adapt to almost any situation. For an Artist in these times of uncertainty our practices have changed in often more ways than one.

Lock-down has provided problems; and by solving problems we inevitably learn from them.

I use to work primarily in oil paint but because of the harmful solvents used with them, for my health I decided to switch to a water soluble paint called gouache. This was a difficult obstacle to over-come because the feel of the paint is essential to the way I work. For my oil painting I rely on the surface texture of the paint and an array of brush strokes to create details; while with my gouache paintings I have learned to play around with subtle layering of abstract shapes to form the subject gradually and if that doesn’t work (Which is most of the time) I wipe it all away and start again.

It took a while to get used to the feel of Gouache but I believe I have created work that is technically interesting and that brings out at least some of the mediums potential, even with the short amount of time I have been using it.

I want my work to evoke a variety of emotions from the viewer to the degree that you (The Viewer) cant tell how you feel about it. I like to create this feeling of confusion and unsettling uncertainty as I hope it encourages you to explore the image and your thoughts of it in more detail; looking for answers.

Obscured like a memory, you think you can remember a face but it might not come into focus or you can remember a person but everything else recedes into a fog; the details are unimportant, its the emotion you connect to a certain location or person that is memorable. This is the feeling I want to evoke.

To achieve this I try to create my scenes focusing on the main subject while simplifying everything else. I do not focus on the unimportant details, this is especially important since I work on a smaller scale (usually around A5 to A4 for my Gouache paintings) so adding too much would just make a piece look crowded.

Another aspect to some of my paintings is a vibe of discomfort which I achieve with the general idea of ‘being naked where you wouldn’t want to be naked’. My paintings are littered with soiled mattresses and crusty blue sofas, this along with a muddy colour palette of Browns, greys, pinks and greens make me and hopefully you want to run and take a shower.

I’m inspired by films like Blue Velvet and Naked lunch is they make you confused, horrified and disgusted but also wanting to know more about the bizarre world the characters inhabit. For a similar reason i am inspired by the etchings of Goya for their weird imagery.