Artist Statement
I am an artist interested in pushing the boundaries of materials.
I am inspiried by the original shape of a rock. My work is process oriented and I enjoy starting with no preconcieved idea of the end product.
I go straight into carving, tapping into my subconcious. I notice shapes appear through the rhythm created by light and shade.
I work on the forms until I feel they resemble the shape that first appeared, letting the light and shade and their journey over, under and around the stone, be the judge of this.
Currently, my process of working is taking a new direction. I impose shapes, mainly of circular nature, onto the stone, to bring more playfulness into the piece. I also try to push the material to it's limit by working some areas of the stone very thin.
Another big inspiration for my work is my interest in how we as humans relate to the different light and dark phases in our lives and how we move from one to the other.
The seed for this was planted when I worked as a paediatric nurse with terminally ill children. The key moment was when I cared for a young girl that suffered from a brain tumor and died at home.
I am grateful for this life-changeing experience, which led me to train as an art-therapist. It was after this training that I realised I wanted to work as an artist.
I now very much enjoy my own work and enabling others through my teaching to be creative with stone.
Working with other materials
canvas:
I introduce other materials in my exploration of light and shade. I use
natural materials and canvas, sometimes cutting the canvas to let light come through directly. I try to create transition by sewing with linen thread.
mobiles:
With my mobiles I am experimenting with a constantly moving medium,
encouraging light and dark to mix and mingle, much like a canopy of leaves
on a sunny, breezy day. I want to give the viewer a physical experience of movement from light to dark and back again.
My aim is to be a mirror, a reminder of the ways in which the density of light can reflect the subtle changes within our souls