Artist Statement

As a contemporary fine artist, observing my environment guides me to create artwork that reflects my surroundings. Driving me to highlight inequalities and social injustices, as an arts practitioner I feel this is an important role to play. Through my processes, I investigate and explore methodologies that lead to planned and unexpected outcomes. Taking a layered approach physically and theoretically, my artwork contains evidence of accumulated materials representing the many complexities seen in society.

As a diverse artist, I enjoy using a variety of materials, usually discarded or salvaged items. Exploring the layering of old paper, plastics and found pieces to represent the complex structures of the social systems in societies. With these materials, tearing back the layers reveals a new story, relating this process to issues in communities where the decay is covered but the problems are still under the surface. An example of my work is an ongoing project looking at the regeneration and gentrifications in societies, currently my hometown is in a regenerative process. I have been documenting and gathering historical pieces to display as a series of artwork to highlight the ever-presence of decay in urban spaces. Inspired by the works of Mark Bradford, an abstract expressionist that uses found materials like paper, rope and plastics salvaged from social surroundings highlighting issues of social decay. These influences drive me to recognise the importance of creating artwork that draws attention to what is often surrounding us every day but not seen, bringing attention to slow corrosion of community and social injustices.

Previously I have worked with young adults and children, from workshops teaching arts and crafts to working within the school environment on creative projects, I have always found this a rewarding and fun opportunity to inspire and help young minds connect with art.

Being versatile as an artist enables me to use transferable skills to create artworks from various subjects and disciplines, opening up opportunities that include commissioned works, photography and community projects, this gives me the flexibility to take on new challenges.

Underpinning my creative thinking, my core thoughts are based on using art as therapy, this is something I find filters through into my work and subconsciously promotes self-healing. My aim for the future is to understand the psychology and the process of creating, with the potential to further my education within the field of art therapy I hope to gain my MA and work to help others.