Creative Process
Paintings that Paint Themselves
ARTIST STATEMENT
I set up naturalistic conditions that allow paintings to paint themselves.
Guided by a gentle hand, and the principles of Zen; naturalness, eliminating clutter, working with an understated sense of beauty, avoiding routine, tranquillity, asymmetrical composition and suggestive intent that reveals more by showing less.
Drawing on intuition, emotion and spontaneity I depict abstract interpretations of the natural world.
Pooling diluted ink and earthy pigments onto canvas, I gently manoeuvre them with brushes, coerce them with air, allowing them to blend, bleed and evolve, creating earthy patterns and textures.
When it feels right I introduce the sense of Ma, adding in the peaceful spaces that distil the chaos, eliminate the distractions, gradually unveiling a composition that breathes naturalness and simplicity.
I know the painting is finished once a sense of balance is achieved. It’s a way of saying we’re done and ready to recommence the process over again (and again).
I borrow from nature, to create paintings that form heartfelt connections.
PROCESS
Inspired by nature, I use unpredictable materials such as water-based acrylics and ink and pair them with spontaneous, intuitive marks and controlled randomness to infuse a divine, sacred energy into my art.
Once the first splash of paint hits the canvas, it’s intuitive. I release control. Surrender.
The paint takes on a life of its own, flowing and winding across the canvas with the unpredictable beauty of colour, form and texture. Seconds shift into minutes. Minutes transform into hours. And, eventually, we both emerge: Complete and ready for the next transformation.
This process becomes the underpainting and the foundation for my final composition.
Harnessing the Japanese concept of “Ma”, meaning ‘interval’ or ‘the space between’, I use white space to bridge chaos and calm while I lovingly pare my art down to its absolute simplest form, without losing its beauty and meaning.
The final composition is refined and minimal, the negative space just as important as what was left behind, creating a balance of beauty and peace.
It’s sacred. It’s raw. From my soul to yours.