Having grown up as a very shy child, my escapism lies in my artwork. It is a means for me to express myself and the views I have through the processes of paint. I am a figurative painter, who rather relying on realism to express what is in front of me; I look to colour to explore identity, personality and the reality of the self. Image alone can only convey a certain perspective of a person. Colour can communicate anything. It can create an aura, an atmosphere. Any thing is possible. The confines of reality of the material world in which we live plays a role in some of my work but only when it serves my purpose.
I work both in paint and pencil. Through my paintings I attempt to use colour to express the way in which I see my subject matter. My drawings however focus upon tone and shade.
While I feel having an understanding of your subject is important, I believe showing what cannot be seen is of more relevance. In terms of my practise allowing what cannot be seen, to be seen, especially the context of a figuration is the true purpose of art.
Portraiture has so much to show in the way of contextual meaning. There is little in the world that is more natural and pure than a human, the potential is limitless. So too is the nature of paint which is why such a union of subject and material offers more than simply just a picture, it is feeling on canvas. This is the difference between art and craft. An artist includes his or her unconscious self within the work, which makes it unique. This is what I show in my work as both a personal expression and as suggestion of how the world should be.