Swept Up

A selection of works on paper. Oil on paper. 1996 - present. These oil paintings on paper are some of my favourite things to create. They are grounded in a physical engagement with the materials, a sensitivity to texture, and a deep interest in how time and experience leave their traces. I create them in a slow, accumulative manner by layering, scraping and editing the surfaces over time. Often working with a restrained colour palette and using a squeegee to apply and remove paint, I attempt to create gestural compositions where each mark is both a response to the previous layer and a preparation for the next one. The paintings are intended to be quiet, contemplative spaces that invite emotional and sensory interpretations rather than a narrative reading. Having said that I also see them as a metaphor for the passing of the years.