Artists statement
My work stems from a desire to express the physical sensation of swimming in a visual language.
I bring a feeling of immersion through my explorations of the tensions between water, air and light. I investigate these elements and see how it translates a visual sense of movement that cannot ordinarily be seen on land, but is present in the forms of bubbles, in mist, in splashes and eternally in the ever rippling surface. The portal between two worlds – a gateway from an atmosphere of constant communication and gravity to an agile world, where muffled sounds are the only ones you can hear and you can only take with you the breath inside your lungs, the heart beat in your head and your personal internal soundtrack of music and thoughts.
Light dances on the surface of the water and travels through its opaque form. The water is a fascinating vehicle for light and my exploration into this element enables me to see how it conveys colours, densities and an enveloping sense of calm, epitomised by its blueness. There is a dark parallel to the seductive water, the awesome fear of its power, the fatigue it can induce, the breath it can take and the unsustainable temperatures that can commit mortal fatality. This is an ever threatening undercurrent in my work.
Watery paint is my essential medium. The manipulation of the paint along with my use of scale and colour enables me to create uncontrived, sensory waterscapes that emit a sublime feeling of embodiment.
