My artistic practice is closely tied to my experiences exploring natural environments through activities like running, hiking, and visiting national parks. The memories, photographs, and videos of my travels serve as a significant source of inspiration for my paintings, which are characterized by a focus on small details and a sense of movement and energy.
I focus on the smallest details and explore the macroscopic effects that can be created through magnifying these details. Inviting the viewer to take a closer look at the world around them.
In my creative process, I often zoom in on specific parts of the environment, creating a macroscopic effect where small details are magnified to monumental proportions. This technique is similar to macro photography, where the focus is on capturing the finest details of an object in extreme close-up. Focusing on the smallest details also means the process of sourcing pigments and making my own paint, highlighting the importance of process and materiality, human exertion and how my work can be situated in specific places by using matter sourced from my research trips in the field.
To emphasize the larger, more expressive strokes in my paintings, I contrast them with muted and deliberate marks that create a sense of unease and bring a perturbation of the landscape. This technique involves painting from the filmed image, adding depth and dimension to the artwork.
The film "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" explores the perspective of being shrunk down to a smaller size, much like an ant's view of the grass blades. This concept of magnifying the small details of our surroundings is reflected in my artwork ‘Blades’ 2023, an oil on linen work. Additionally, the patterns found in microphotographs of damaged or diseased cell tissue, as seen in the book "Basic Histopathology: A Colour Atlas and Text," have also served as inspiration for my paintings.
Microphotograph of cell tissue from ‘Basic Histopathology: a colour atlas and text’