Artist’s statement -
My current work is an attempt to link text with emotion, its aim to relocate this from page to canvas. Above all, this is a cathartic process. Initially I write the word that invades my consciousness. The repetition of word on canvas makes it more real - more convincing; with its immediacy and power released, we view the word in a context entirely of itself. We are obliged to question what a word is. Are the words used affirmations or confessions? The repetition of each word becomes a mantra and the practice of making each piece, a ritualistic performance. Displayed like tablets jutting out from the wall, these pieces form a space in which there is an aesthetic dialogue between the past and the present.
Achieving a personal harmony with the materials is imperative to the success of each work. The monochromatic ground on herringbone linen evokes an almost primal affect which, when mounted onto the black lacquered plinths take on something of a monumental quality.
Ritual is the grammar that shapes and gives pattern and meaning to the language of our lives. Through ritual we express recognition and reverence for those things we hold scared - ritual provides a focus for a prayer or meditation - an avenue for healing, a vehicle for shifting between worlds.