My creative practice of representational painting and experimental video art is founded on an entirely intuitive method of working. The process begins with a flashback, a memory that is difficult to put into words and wants desperately to be represented visually. These fragments of memory are never clear in their intention when they initially present themselves as lonely recollections who long to be teased out and explored with a measure of catharsis. Growing up and experiencing violent trauma at a young age was horrifically isolating, but thankfully the silence in its aftermath was able to manifest itself through creative mediums that channelled what could not be put into words. This experience of silence in the aftermath of trauma informs my creative process through the cryptic narratives that weave within the works leaving behind little ambiguously symbolic breadcrumbs, almost as if they long to be deciphered. These breadcrumbs are not presented in the context of symbolism in a traditional sense, such as a lily representing purity, but more like an expressive type of symbolism in reference to the emotional state of mind at the time of creating. This establishes a sort of subconscious visual diary of documentation, with each piece of work instinctively representing subliminal thought processes wanting to categorize themselves to be dissected for their emotional truth.

Stylistically I have always been enthralled by the works of the Old Masters, their chiaroscuro techniques of contrasting light and shadow, and the restrained palette. My painting practice bridges the gap of modernism to fuse old with new, recalling technical command aspects of the Old Masters but with a distinctly contemporary unease. Each work is highly staged and ambiguous, charged with psychological tension. I use my own photographic sources in which I arrange the model, props, lighting, and composition so that they are painting ready, adding a cinematic dimension to the work.

Though my work is inherently personal, I am interested in telling stories of experiences that are both personal and universal. I don’t want my characters in paint or film to be of specific individuals, they’re archetypes, like figurative insights into a human condition. By harnessing the illumination of collective feelings and experiences through narratively cryptic works that never explains themselves, they share deeply personal emotions but realise their universal potential through a deep, constant awareness of their psychological impact.