ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores the structural and sensual elements of fabric through drawing, moving image and most recently painting, viewing the historical abstraction of drapery through a contemporary lens.

Fabric is the focus, I manipulate it into dramatic sculptural forms, working with the push and pull of the body.

I am motivated by the way drapery has historically allowed figurative painters to let rip into exaggeration and elaboration, not bound by reality.

I take photos to use as reference for my work, working collaboratively with models who I know well. I arrange strong compositional shapes finding powerful and playful postures, such as a cross-current of movement or the tipping point before a change, to bring exuberance and energy to the intimate compositions of my paintings.

The more I look and paint the more I am struck by the expressive and imaginative possibilities of drapery. Just as the weather can supply the atmosphere of a landscape, drapery can meet any expressive need in figurative work, by virtue of its connection to art history. My work reimagines and renews this lineage, bringing drapery back to the forefront of my contemporary compositions.