I am a contemporary realism artist working primarily with oils, charcoal and more recently, digital drawings. Having completed my formal education in 2018, I have since been able to devote my spare time to pursuing my passion for painting and creating art.
While trained as an Architect, throughout my life I have continued to paint and draw. I use techniques learnt over 10+ years practise and some training in 19th century representational drawing and painting.
The current theme of my work is to capture beauty in moments of solitude.
The works comprise of a figure, my beloved cousin – a talented fire performer, submerged in a body of coloured water.
For me, bathing is a method to soothe ourselves, and when we submerge ourselves underneath, for those few moments we are simply a body suspended beneath the water, with just the sound of our breathing to accompany us. I think there is a beauty within that fleeting moment and my recent works are a way of trying to capture that feeling.
The work has a personal sentimental significance. My cousin and I have a strong bond, and spent a much of our childhood playing together. Growing up we both experienced the loss of a parent at a young age and in adulthood we are unable to spend as much time together as we once did. The creation of my current body of work allowed us to relive our childlike whimsy and rekindle our love and support for one another.
I create the work starting with a photo shoot to capture the desired reference images. After testing and establishing the composition, I prepare a base drawing/painting and apply multiple layers of translucent oil paint and detailed brushwork. I always intend to create images that are beautiful, not just aesthetically, yet in the care and attention paid to the creation of the works at each stage of the process.
