Artist Statement...

  The question isn't 'Do you paint abstracts?'
  The question is 'Are you a Fine Artist or an Illustrator?' (I trained as a Fine Artist, 2 years Foundation which led on to 3 years BA). Here is how I think about creating work.
1   There is no goal or endpoint, apart from one picture leading to another. Yes I'm trying to create something convincing, and I try that with every piece, but even if I painted the 'perfect' canvas I would still think, how can I make the next one better?
2   I have no idea how a picture will turn out-if I did I wouldn't do it. 
3   My process involves making marks, adding colour that creates problems that need solutions. This organic way of working, repainting areas many times and removing as much paint as that is applied means I couldn't replicate a finished piece.
4   Although I paint 'on the fly' I'm not interested in splashes or drips. I'm always in control of what goes on the canvas and fully conscious of any superficiality. Personally I think I'm a very traditional painter.
5   I have quite an extensive knowledge of art history (painting) and I measure the success of a work by how it fits within this tradition.
6   Sometimes I settle with being 70-80% happy with the finished canvas. If after time it bugs me I'll paint over it to create a different resolution.
7   I'm not a big fan of 'all over' painting (ie Rothko or Pollock). I like composition, the frame is important-it emphasises containment (you are not looking at part of something else). I reject the idea of becoming a 'brand'.
8  Similarity between works lies not in repetition but in my 'handwriting'. I'm interested in layers, juxtaposition of colour, what Nabokov coined 'aesthetic bliss'.
9   Although personally titles aren't always that important, they can emerge as part of the process and sometimes can influence the painting's direction.
10  I paint 3-4 pieces at a time (mainly due to drying times). I can only paint in 2 hour slots, after that my concentration wanes and I'm just doodling.