– MY WORK –

Painting has always been a natural outlet; a way to escape and speak to a nonverbal part of my existence. It was not until a breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, however, that I was ‘awakened’ to fully pursue my life-long passion for painting. Holistically, it has provided me with a sense of clarity and purpose towards fulfillment of living my most authentic self (life).

Art has always played an important part in my life. I’ve always been connected to it in one way or another as a daughter, mother, professional athlete, photographer, writer, and anthropologist.

My artistic practice is one of intrinsic personal exploration. Employing unconventional colours, compositions and tonal schema, my paintings are an authentic expression of ‘revelations of self’; and by virtue, seek to capture the transient nature of life and the essence of the human condition. As an anthropologist, my paintings reflect my connection to the world around me, where one can discern reoccurring themes of truth, unity of nature, healing, reinvention, resilience, and the power of “I am”.

Abstract painting distills my emotions and ideas about life, nature and our respective place within it. It is a means of exploring subjective experiences as a gateway to broader human concerns. We see art in everything around us every day; but, how we see it is different based on our own personal experiences. To be able to capture that art and interpret it in my own way is what fascinates me. To organize sensorially those personal stories while giving viewers a framework within which to receive and interpret them internally, in which to create a visual and visceral experience.

My process is very intuitive and emotionally driven; with other art forms such as film, music, dance and photography lending inspiration. References in my work to the appreciation of lines, light and expression reflect a synthesis of these style influences. For me the canvas is a mouthpiece; it comes from its intention. It is a means to whisper my secrets, share my passion, express my anguish, and taunt your sensibilities.

Working predominantly in acrylics, I tend towards large scale square format canvases. Colours complement one another, how they work in different shapes and movements, to embrace both contrast and varying intensity of emotions. Combined brush/palette strokes build and blend into a rich intensity of layered textural hues. Sweeping lines bend and curve transcending the boundaries between light and dark. The use of light, which shifts fluidly across the canvas, catching iridescent pigments/lines, results in giving the paintings an ethereal effect that connotes the underlying shimmer that is hope. The compositions however, remain open ended, to engage the viewer to interpret the story. This emotional connection is at the core of my practice.

Entering the studio is a time of letting go: of expectations, of structure, of rules, and of my own ideas about what’s possible and what’s not…in life and art.