Carnival Painting

I have been a fine art painter for nearly two decades but have been dabbling in anything and everything related to art since my childhood.  I have had both solo and group showings in Australia, California and London. My subject matter is mainly focused on the human form with particular attention paid to the face.  There is no explicit story behind my works. I wouldn’t want there to be. The subjects I paint aren’t models. They’re just normal people.  I always try to look for something interesting in the face of the individual I choose to paint. I like to paint faces that are maybe slightly unusual, or not considered conventionally beautiful. I am drawn, maybe unconsciously, to subjects that seemingly embody darker emotions. It resonates so much more with me and I think with people in general on a much more significant level than a picture of a girl smiling without a care in the world would. That’s not as relatable to people. But as well as trying to capture a certain and perhaps obvious melancholy, I like to present an undertone of strength. Some paintings embody that characteristic more obviously than others. But in every painting I do, I strive to imbue the subject with the juxtaposition of both vulnerability and strength, in varying degrees.  I also like to contrast this rather intense and sobre portrayal with humour. I do that via the abstract brushstrokes and almost childlike representation of parts of the body. A cartoonish hand holding a cigarette whilst the pains of life are etched in the subject’s face allow for light relief and, I believe, make the painting more visually digestible.  All of this I say as a side note. I don’t like the idea of forcing my beliefs or ideas on to the viewer. I much prefer for people to take whatever they want from the paintings - draw their own conclusions, conceive of their own ideas behind each one. That is more fulfilling for me as the artist than to, perhaps egotistically, deliver a certain message through my art, eager for my thoughts to be heard. That has never been a goal. For me, art is such a subjective, personal and wonderful thing. It is not for me to tell you what you are to read in the works you are looking at, even if I created them. They are for you to take exactly what you choose from them’.