Form Drawing

The boundary of the material and the immaterial worlds, and the space that exists between them, has long fascinated me. In my work I try to capture a moment in time and space - the moment of death - as a way of exploring the relationship between the physical and the spiritual worlds. The abstraction of the body becomes the framework for a dialog about the duality of existence. I use fragments from various sources as inspiration - abstract ideas that often contradict one another when seen in context. Myth, religion, physical objects, philosophy, poetry, anything that resonates with me is woven together. My work is a blend of the purely intellectual with the emotive, a sort of visual poetry, fluid and exploratory which reflects my own deep introspection. I fuse the traditional with the modern, the figurative with abstraction. Using écorché sketches as a starting point, muscular structure is abstracted into strands representing the threads - or cords - which link the physical and spiritual worlds. I paint using traditional methods - predominately oils on canvas - the variable viscosity of the medium allows for fluidity and texture and allows me a feeling of connection with the process of painting. Emotional and physical depth is created by the layering of translucent color, with cooler tones floating above warmer ones. Space is an important element, with form existing in seeming emptiness, representing the relationship between the physical and the spiritual. Because constructions of the metaphysical are personal to the individual, my work is deliberately ambiguous so the viewer can interpret it using their own eyes and experience.