I am interested in paintings that explore and push the boundaries of the medium. In my work, I use unconventional materials and methods to help inform my stories and bring an unexpected physicality to two dimensional works.
I have always used paint to explore ideas, but a few years ago I started pushing plasticine onto the surface as well. This wasn't a random act; it had been coming for some time. I'd first used plasticine to paint from, making a series of paintings from models made by my three-year-old daughter. The plasticine had called to mind paint in three dimensions, so incorporating it into works a little later didn't feel too incongruous. In fact it rescued the surface from the familiar; flirting with the ridiculous and irreverent whilst engaging with the material vernacular of painting.
My working method focuses on the materials. The dialogue between the two informs and creates a space for stories to develop. I build in layers, adding stuff and then pulling things off and erasing them, following my nose down sidetracks and detours. The stories that unfold are always a polluted version of an initial desire, which after all, is the failure and thrill of painting.
