I don’t choose my subjects, they choose themselves. That’s what painting is for me; a way to relax, to spill my thoughts onto paper. I love to create things, and see my paintings as a way of doing that. Sometimes it’s a poem, or even a line of poetry that inspires me, but mostly it’s feelings – about people or situations. In that sense I paint for me rather than for fame or recognition from others. When I look back at paintings that I have done I know exactly where I was in my life and when I made them. Other people see what they want to see, and maybe don’t see the whole picture but that’s up to their interpretation.
I don’t think that I have a definite style. I have images that mean something to me, and that resurface in my work, but mostly the materials and substrate I choose are those I think suit the subject. I use pastels when the image is soft and flowing, or ink when it has a lot of detail. For this exhibition I’ve been learning how to use oil paints. My style has loosened because I’ve been using a different medium and it’s been interesting to see how it affects what I produce.
