ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice involves looking at the everyday, the unseen or unnoticed. I am continually influenced by the world around me, the ‘out of sight’ which is often passed by without a thought. My research within museums and scientific institutions, travel and being connected with nature, all influence my thought processes and creative ideas.  I work within a wide range of media and process, in both two and three-dimensional planes, selecting whichever media I think is necessary to make works of art that reflect the subject or feelings that I am trying to represent.

 The emphasis of process is essential to my way of working, it creates an almost automated but meditative state which allows my mind to wander and contemplate.   

My current work is influenced by the merging of the organic and the man-made.  Recent online research as well as at the Wellcome Trust and the Natural History museum, has revealed the extent of plastic pollution at both the micro and macro level. My recent artwork, Nano, is made by weaving unrecyclable plastic netting used to transport organic fruit and vegetables to shops, which is then discarded and subsequently sent to landfill.

Many plastics break down into the well known microplastics.  Even smaller, nano plastics can be a small as one micron in size - the same size as a single smoke particle.  These have been found to be in the bloodstream and lungs of humans, as well as within the growing flesh of carrots, apples and lettuce.  Full research has yet to be carried out.

In light of the ever-present environmental issues that threaten our planet, I think it is important to continually assess my own personal environmental footprint as an artist, and as such I produce work that is mainly sustainable and environmentally sound.  My sculptures are mostly made from discarded and unwanted materials and can often be planted, reused or repurposed.

​Being particularly interested in phenomenology and art, I strive to make work that causes the viewer to interact and question what they see, giving them a pause for thought.  Art has the ability to restore, connect people with place, memory and current issues. It can help people from different cultures and walks of life gain knowledge, understanding and inspiration.

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