The inspiration for my abstract collages comes from the faded charm of man-made, aged, surfaces mixed with nature.
I find real beauty in old, worn surfaces especially fragments of medieval wall paintings, peeling paint, rusty metalwork, worn textiles, tiles and ruins where nature has taken over. I’ve taken inspiration from the many ruins and historic buildings around the UK, along with discoveries I’ve made in Venice, Crete, Barcelona, Lisbon, Southern India, Turkey and Havana.
My work is very process-driven and experimental, often incorporating happy accidents. I start by gathering found materials and ephemera (e.g. maps, receipts, old second hand books, magazines and scrap paper) and work into them with mixed media, including water-soluble crayons, tissue paper, acrylic paint and chinagraph pencils. I enjoy creating worn-looking surfaces, incorporating pattern, text and stitch.
I often work in A5 sketchbooks, being particularly drawn to the concertina format, or I transform inexpensive books, found in charity shops, into altered books.
