Artist Statement

Utilitarian structures frame our individual environments and our familiarity of them roots us to our ‘sense of place.’ There are some which we are inclined to take for granted, the humble beach shelter, the cabin, or the functional hut, these are my subjects.

Whilst orientation, time of day, or weather is not immediately evident in my work, they are principal elements which consistently inform my drawings. I look for the shadows or reflections, which are transient and change at different times of day and from season to season.

A subject must pull me in, I become absorbed with visiting a building over days and weeks, to record the moments. The point where everything is possible is such a special time followed by the gradual reveal in the drawings of unusual compositions or half glimpsed views.

Drawing has remained central and pivotal to my practice throughout my career. It is a fundamental mark making process. It’s my primary medium and when asked ‘what other mediums do you work in?’ it seems like a misunderstanding of the complexity of drawing. My method feels like a bravura balance on a tightrope that lasts from the meticulous planning to the last pencil stroke.

My inspirations are many and varied including Bridget Riley, known for her optical pattern paintings. She has consistently used drawing as part of her practice. I refer to her understanding of spatial awareness and recognition of compression and expansion, a superb example of this is ‘Kiss’ 1961. Technically brilliant shading in works such as ‘Hesitate’ 1964 is alluring and creates dynamic and visual illusion.

It is the colours of Frank Bowling that initially draw me to his work, but I recognise his complete pull and compulsion to draw.

‘There was a time when drawing was the only thing standing between me and nothing,’ he says. ‘If I have to get out of bed, if I have to be awake, then I'm going to draw.’

And on paper:

Paper, by contrast, offers a different kind of agency. ‘Perhaps it's the nakedness of it,’ he says. ‘The paper doesn't wait, and it doesn't forgive.’ 2026 Exhibition ‘Driven to Draw’ Wallpaper Magazine.

If I ask one thing of my audience, it is to stay a little longer in exploration of my work. To see the distant passage that draws you forward to look a little closer and explore the detail. To imagine what it might be like to sit for a moment in a beach shelter and contemplate the view.