What is your greatest source of inspiration?
My greatest source of inspiration comes from the intersection of everyday life and overlooked moments, especially as captured through the lens of time and digital culture. I’m drawn to banal or fleeting images I find online, often spanning decades, from the mid-twentieth century to the present. These snapshots, sometimes awkward or mundane, or quietly touching, offer a raw and unfiltered glimpse into our reality. Animals, particularly dogs, cats, and horses, are often central figures in my work. They carry emotional weight and presence that often mirrors our own, loyalty, solitude, joy, or anxiety, and I find that they can say just as much about us as any human figure. Whether it’s a grainy photo of a backyard moment or a blurry image from an old advert, I’m inspired by the way these visual fragments capture the poetry of the ordinary.
What was a pivotal moment in your creative practice?
There have been so many significant moments in my practice to date. Still, I’d say that being given the incredible opportunity to undertake my Masters at Goldsmiths in London was a pivotal moment in my creative practice. I went into arts education relatively late in life, I was in my mid-thirties when I started my degree following a career in retail. When I applied to the MFA, it was my intention to become an art teacher, which, hopefully, would allow me to continue my art practice in my spare time. While I was at Goldsmiths, the tutors encouraged me to challenge the work I had made previously and there was a shift in my practice; I was able to go on tangents and experiment with ideas, it was really liberating. I had the space to fail, learning from my mistakes, I was developing a ‘practical wisdom’ and focusing in on the specific materials and techniques that worked best for me. During my time on the programme, I was able to forge so many meaningful connections within the art world. The MFA programme was pivotal in kick-starting my life as an artist; the experience was beyond anything I ever expected.
What question do you keep returning to in your work?
When I think back to fine art crits while I was a student, the first question that comes to my mind is ‘What is at stake?, back then felt like such an impossible question to be asked, but I came to find it an essential one that invites me to reflect on the deeper meaning and underlying context, as well as my motivation and the potential impact of the work. I see my art practice as a form of investigation new questions are continuously arising through this reflexive making process. While I am thinking through practice it can feel like so many questions arise through the making process and practice-based inquiry and although crucial to explore my creative practice, however I think it’s also very important to have balance, and not overthink the process, especially as in the past I have found it has the potential to lead to creative blocks and has interrupted spontaneity and creative flow.
When are you happiest at work and why?
There is a moment when I am working on a painting, when it’s not quite finished but nearing completion or it’s final version that makes me really happy, I think it is when everything starts to come together and things start to fall into place. That sweet spot makes the process all worthwhile because I find that when I’m making work it is full of ups and downs and I have moments where I really grapple with the work in progress. Beyond the studio, I also feel a real sense of euphoria when a body of work is installed into a gallery or exhibition space. I might have been working on a project for an extended amount of time within my studio and to see the work come together, the crisp exhibition space almost elevates the work. I often find that overwhelming but in a positive way, it always takes some time to sink in to see the culmination of work come to fruition.
What are you looking forward to in the next year (mostly work-related, but if you’d like to answer on a personal level, we’d love to hear about that, too)?
I have a notebook of ideas that I add to every now and then when new ideas spring to mind, but I find I don’t have the chance to focus on them when I am working on other projects. It’s getting rather full now and there are quite a few concepts that I am looking forward to making a start on over the next year, a lot of experiments, many of them beyond my usual practice, with the possibility of new ways of making, including sculpture, installation and film. I look forward to the potential for spontaneity and discovery within my studio environment, which I believe is important for my practice. The work I make may never see the light of day, nevertheless, I am excited to be able to explore the collection of ideas and see what develops.
