I see my artistic practise as in a constant state of experimentation. Such state begins with basic sketches and continues onto the canvas as the sense of intuition is essential to my work. This enables a consistent feel of unease to reside in my work, yet with intimate poses and bright colours, a calmness (as opposite to the initial unease) is also apparent. That almost uncanny juxtaposition is a running theme throughout all the artwork I have created over the past three years. I have worked with tension and intimacy as sub-themes for I see issues surrounding bodily and mental closeness as a pressing post-postmodern matter that has not yet been fully explored.
In this series, titled Untitled Series 2016-present, I use discordant colours to firstly create a sense of tension and unease, which is coupled with poses of nude figures to create the initial feelings of intimacy.
The layout above shows how I usually exhibit this series. By hanging the canvases in this way it allows the colours to discord and harmonise within and outside of the canvas edge. The contours of the bodies appear to have no end or a sudden end, furthering notions of tension and intimacy and unease and calm.
This series is also an exploration of human form and colour. It references what it means to paint in the digital world. Colour, my main protagonist, has been forced out of Western culture for it is seen as primitive, queer, feminine and dangerous to the system of patriarchy. The most colourful aspects of most Westerners lives are adverts. This type of colour is surface colour. It is cosmetic, meaningless and a mask. When I paint colour I am bringing back some of the primitive, queer, feminine, under the surface colour. By doing this I am signalling for change as well as appreciating the recent changes in equal rights under a more accepting society.