why I make art

I make art because it brings me joy.

It releases me in a way nothing else can. It is my therapy and my vocation. It is intrinsic to my life and to my wellbeing.

I make art because I adore the thrill of discovery, when different textures, materials and colours come together.

I spent years trying to pin down life and meaning in words, when I actually hate pinning things down. I find image more mysterious, more fluid, less didactic and dogmatic than words. Or maybe my experiments with visual art has simply allowed me to move away from the dogmatism.

Art, for me, is a journey of playful exploration. There are no ‘right’ answers – simply ‘seeing what happens’. It gives me the freedom to play, to explore, without being tied into uncomfortable, unyielding statements which allow no room for interpretation or subtlety. Life is not so easily categorised.

I don’t make art in a way that has to follow a certain pattern or achieve an exact goal – that would frustrate me! I prefer to let it form beneath my hands, guiding it, perhaps hoping for certain effects, but relishing its uncertainty.

The art I make is layered and tactile – evoking the sense of touch, even if only in the viewer’s mind (though when my work is on display I often see people reach out, hesitantly, curiously, to touch it!).

I love evoking this curiosity in people because curiosity is such a part of my own process.