Please can you tell us about your artistic practice?
As a painter I relate to nature and my surroundings, be it a familiar or unfamiliar landscape. Drawing is the key and the starting point for my practice. I begin from an image, a drawing or something taken from life, bringing them back into the studio where they will exist and develop into paintings. I currently work as both a curator and an artist. Becoming a curator of painting shows developed from existing in an art world where I am inspired by other painters and by history of art. Curating allows me to explore this in greater depth outside of my studio practice.
What art education have you received?
I did my Foundation degree at Chelsea College of Art & Design and a subsequent three year BFA in Fine Arts at Parsons Paris School of Art & Design. During that time I was nominated for the Ellen Battel Stoeckel Fellowship at Yale Art School. I recently finished studying in the inaugural year of the Turps Banana Art School in London.
Where do you see you work sitting in relation to abstract and figurative work?
There are elements of both figurative and abstract in my process of making work. I might work in a more abstract way once the drawing has been laid down, but it is rare that a painting will be completely abstract from start to finish. The marks always seem to remain my own whether they have a figurative or abstract origin, like a signature, that’s the goal.
Where were you born / brought up and how has this affected your painting?
I was born and raised in London, close to Hampton Court. Being raised by two parents who have a keen interest in the arts, as well as in a city that has a plethora of galleries and paintings, definitely influenced my development as a painter. As for the works themselves, it’s hard to say. I think that where we are from never really leaves the work, so even if I am painting a tropical landscape from Indonesia (a country where I spend a lot of time) the paintings still have a distinct feeling of Britishness about them. What exactly that is, I cannot say, but it’s not a bad thing.
What and whom are you influences?
A complete mix. I was very passionate about history of art as a student and have travelled quite extensively over the last few years for work, squeezing in gallery visits wherever possible. What influences me is what I am experiencing first hand in that period of time, be it the Rembrandts in the Hermitage, Goyas at the Prado, Frescos in Padua, the Manets in Paris….it’s an endless source of inspiration. I’m looking for the best of the best, who makes a painting that holds my attention and gives me something new. Curating allows me to explore these influences in an exciting and different way.
Do you have any shows coming up?
At the moment my focus is on curating shows at Le Cabinet Dentaire and also making work in my studio. I will be taking part in a group show this September at Le Cabinet Dentaire and potentially a group show in Italy in October. My project, Figure This Out, will also be travelling to a couple of locations in Europe before the end of the year. The show includes work by myself, Ralph Hunter-Menzies, Leonard Johansson, Ana Karkar, Shaun McDowell and Sofia Silva.
How do you juggle life and painting?
It’s one and the same really – some days painting is my life, some days it’s my family and loved ones, some days it’s work and money. I take each day as it comes and try to keep a clear head so I can prioritise the right thing, that’s the challenge.
Do you teach?
No, not at the moment. It is something I would consider doing in the future should I have the time and the opportunity.
Do you have a place you are trying to move towards in your work?
I’m enjoying the process of bringing more drawing back into the work – that is to say a more sculptural approach with the drawing, not dealing with the linear but with the form. I would like to push that even further over the coming months and see where it can go.
Can you tell us how Le Cabinet Dentaire came about and what visions you have for it?
The project was an idea born between myself and my co-director Sandra Fujii. The space became available for a year or so and we decided to seize the opportunity and use it as a platform for showing new and exciting painting. Having met during our BFA in Paris, we have always talked about the opportunities for contemporary painters, or lack there-of, and by combining our resources we are able to run a program dedicated to showing contemporary painting on a low budget. We do all of the promotion and design work ourselves, as well as the curating, allowing us to be more creative with the space.
In practical terms, how do you organise your life? Work / income / making work / creative projects?
At the moment it’s all a bit chaotic on paper. I’m a relatively organised person in general so I tend to make sure I have an overall idea of what needs to be done when, and that allows me to build in time in the studio to make work. I wake up pretty early and I don’t go out that much unless it’s work related, so that gives me enough time to take on more work and art related projects. There are months when I am in the studio all the time, and months where my time is more focused on administration.
