Artist Statement

As an artist I’m interested in bringing physical materials, (paint, oils and other media) and the imagination together to build a kind of poetic connection between the tangible world and the transcendent, working in Abstract Landscape and Portraiture in oils, printmaking and digital illustration.

The materials I use to create textured and glossy surfaces are made with colourful pigments, oils, (often making my own paint), waxes, wood ash, marble dust and gold leaf. These create tactile, sensual feelings in the manipulated surfaces, enticing the viewer to see beyond an image where they can travel to a place for contemplation - evoking emotions, stories, and memories.

My process begins with a search for meaning in the world: be it through a feeling or memory of a place, poetry, story or myth. I draw and also use digital painting to develop a mood. I will then go to the canvas and experiment with paints and tones until an atmosphere develops, building the multiple layers of the painting. I also enjoy the challenge of traditional portrait painting, capturing the gaze of the subject.

I hold an MA in Fine Art Practice and Education from Birmingham School of Art.

I have previously exhibited at the Cupola Gallery Sheffield, Sheffield Art in the Gardens - winning 2 awards, The Treeline Gallery, Bakewell, The New Art Gallery, Walsall; Dronfield Hall Barn; The Birmingham Institute and Tate Liverpool. I also create light installations using photography, video effects, animation and projectors - recently working with Dronfield Hall Barn, Inkbrew Productions for Huddersfield Pride and Ignite Imaginations. My most recent work in digital illustration - the book “I’m Just Me” by Kenzi Jupp, is available at Waterstones.

Please view my work and contact me at www.hangingbootscreative.art