Soma Painting

I have had the privilege of a life of creativity, an amazing art education and the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing. I have learned that life is complex and in a perpetual state of change and evolution. Nothing remains the same over any extended period. My optimism, my passion for art and my continual desire to create is reflected in every aspect of my work. For me, art is about connection, an expression of the journey of life and offers a higher understanding of communication. I am always curious and experimenting, yet I find my process to be the most integral part of my art making. Layers of texture, drips, colours, welcomed mistakes and the travelling of paint build the story of my paintings. My process reveals, conceals, and re-examines what we define as beauty like collecting evidence of life lived over time; the peeling of paint on walls and the hidden potential residing in discarded remnants. I am fascinated by the beauty found in organic marks made naturally without overthinking or correcting. I am often led by the revolutionary strategy originally put forward in the "Theory of the Dérive" (1956) by Guy Debord. The dérive is defined as "a mode of experimental behaviour linked to the conditions of urban society: a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances." It is an unplanned journey through a landscape, usually urban, in which participants drop their everyday relations and "let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there". Whichever piece you choose from my collection, it is an original. I do not produce copies or prints and each artwork importantly has its own unique and individual layers, texture and depth to set it apart from any other piece.