PAINTING/MIXED MEDIA

When I am out walking along shores or in the city, I am attracted by natural and industrial objects – rocks, barnacles, chunks of industrial material, pieces of old machinery – that call for closer examination. I photograph these and make drawings, moving in close attracted by the surfaces. In the studio I make drawings and paintings that start with simple renderings of the object and its setting and then become more and more abstract as I explore the surface, colours, and shapes and begin to integrate materials such as silk, handmade papers, photographic images and gold leaf. Something that was once grey and ugly to some eyes becomes rich in colour, texture, movement and mystery – beautiful.