I am a contemporary painter working in Essex
Artist's Statement:
I use portraiture within my work to allow the viewer to scrutinise the human subject. By capturing a character in a painting I can invite the viewer to focus on the image for as long as they choose, encourage them to judge, discuss and criticise both the subject and technique of the work.
I aim to prolong the process of glancing at a person in a street, to introduce the viewer to subjects which are denied of a context or explanation, who are trapped in a still pose ready to be examined to the closest detail. The process of painting mimics the subjects desire to create the right impression on others. The paint is loosely applied, emphasising the vital features, yet there are no small details such as pores, scars or wrinkles; no evidence that the subject is a real functioning mortal human being. I apply paint in a style which embraces the nature of oil and includes blobs, brushstrokes and large marks to convey a sense of how we create an identity for ourselves which we try to convey to others through use of clothes, make up or even the way we speak. These tools are false and unnatural, like paint, but are vital to how we are perceived by those who come into contact with us. In my work elements such as brushstrokes are a sign of the artist's authorship and deny the subject the illusion of being real in the same way that an unnatural lip colour would betray the users' wish to convey this as their own shade. The devices used by us to enhance other people's opinions of ourselves often focus on a few aspects of our character which are emphasised. This allows people to categorise us into types of people and so in the memories of others we become caricatures of ourselves. These caricatures are portrayed in my work. They are the bland, everyday, fascinating freaks who we can laugh at and sympathise with simultaneously. They are frozen in the composition of the painting like warped specimens in jars, while the sitter of the painting continues, relatively unnoticed, with their normal life.