ANTIDOTE (2019)

Being creative has always been my way of processing, interpreting and reconstructing my world. 'Antidote', my current series, explores how my work practice can restore a sense of self in times of vulnerability and change.

My connection to nature is an important part of my identity and self-expression. In the early layers, I recorded my emotions with urgency on the canvas, using turbulent images such as ripped skies, earthquakes and crumbling walls. Initially my concern was finding ways of keeping the colour vibrant and I focused on using the gesso, masking tape and wax as a means of doing this. As the series progressed, my attention shifted from using colour and texture and I became more interested in developing some areas of quiet.

Working simultaneously with many layers on both larger scale canvases and smaller oils on paper encouraged me to be experimental. I reintroduced hand drawn elements inspired by nature in the mixed media collages and will develop some of these ideas further. From being a means to an end, to help me catch my breath and rebalance, the Antidote series has become something to build on and an end in itself.