1. If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
I studied graphics, film and photography at university and these have all had major influences on my painting. I would like the work to have a visceral impact on the viewer, where the colours and forms give an experience.
2. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from different elements of culture: film, music, literature. All of these tell emotional stories, and I would like to share similar human narratives through my own work.
3. Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/ piece of artwork?
I will see a photo of someone that resonates with me in a way that I can see how they might feel and what it might provoke for others. I look for relationships or connections between people and keep a collection of source images. I will then combine these with a space that I think might help emphasise the story.
4. Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
I like the idea that there is a connection the audience will have with the work by feeling they have personally experienced something in the scene before. I'm looking to awaken a memory in them and bring the experience closer like that.
5. Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
I'm lucky to find peace in painting, so it takes most of my time and I enjoy the immediacy of the pigment, the way it shifts and changes. I'm a morning person so work as soon as I wake, before I can start to worry about the world and where it is going.
6. When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
I'm not a good planner, so intuition feels right for me. I know that many years of creative practice allow me to work like this on impulse, yet feel confident it is informed and builds on the visual language I have developed.
7. What is one major lesson you've learned as an artist thus far?
Take as many risks as possible. I think this helps to build a tension within the work and this communicates something more authentic to the audience. I try to set many different challenges within my practice and for every canvas to try something new and uncomfortable.
8. Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?
Style and taste seem to be things enforced by society. I've always been interested in counter culture and am impressed when I see individuals going their own way.
9. What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
Getting comfortable and being repetitive is always a risk. It can be easy to slide into a routine and to not ask questions about your own work and where it is going. There are values I have, such as generosity, communication, sharing and development that I truly value.
10. What is one thing you love about being an artist?
I'm a visual person and images allow me to communicate. Otherwise I feel like a mute person in a world of words and sounds.
11. Is there anyone in particular, any artist's that inspire you in any way?
David Lynch and Ridley Scott both had a profound impact on the way I look at things and the way I work. I like the way they ask the big questions and don't pretend to have the answers.
12. What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
I love technology, having access to things and being able to create stuff with programs like Photoshop or creating web pages. Thgose are creative, but I worry about my kids and all the dangers that technology can bring. I have fond memories of times without mobile phones where we all watched the same TV and had things to talk about in common.
13. Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don't follow creative paths?
It depends on what 'creative' means. I think there are creative people that aren't artists and also artists that are not creative. It's a state of mind rather or an attitude rather than an action. It can be painful to expose yourself to being vulnerable as a creative person, which may be why many people don't follow that path.
14. Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
Travelling is a wonderful way of putting yourself in new situations and feeling something different. I always feel richer when I come home from somewhere new. Rather than specific places, I like the movement, especially on a motorbike where the wind and gives that sense of trajectory.
15. Do you have a favorite author or book?
I like a lot of authors, especially authors like Herman Hesse, Hemingway, Jose Saramago, among many others who present very emotive stories about the human condition.
16. Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
Goals always expand and evolve. I'm content with exploring and trying new things, allowing images to find me. I have a few different projects where I am exploring different types of imagery such as architectural spaces and connections with nature. I'm confident they will lead me to new challenges.
17. What does being an artist mean to you?
Being an artist has allowed me to change my life. It has taken me out of a darker world and stops my mind wandering. It brings me peace and a sense of meditative calm, to watch and feel.
18.What's the last song you listened to?
I've got The Knife on shuffle repeat at the moment. It's weird and freaky and I love that electro vibe. I usually listen to loud electronic music when I paint and the time just falls away.
19. Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
Look from afar, look close, notice connections between textures and contrasts in colours and feel the gratitude I have for giving me your time.
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