Fine Art

Background
My practice has long been informed by an interest in the discourses/s of psychogeography. Since moving to Art Core, in the summer of 2024, I have been exploring the ecological, sentimental, political and cultural narratives that define the Derwent Valley: UNESCO World Heritage Site and birthplace of the factory system, if not the industrial revolution. I am particularly interested in exploring innovative approaches to watercolour, that most quintessentially English and, some might assume, conservative of media. I combine innovative/antagonistic approaches to mark making with traditional/craft values. The antagonistic tensions I create in my work echo the antagonistic tensions I find in the river (which has recently become the 5th most polluted river in the UK). I also undertake interventions that are designed to enhance awareness of climate change and environmental degradation.
This exploration, of the stratigraphy of context, brings together my interests in archaeology, ecology, history, decolonization, folklore and what Michel de Certeau termed ‘the Practice of Everyday Life’ (de Certeau, Michel, trans. Steven Rendall, University of California Press, Berkeley 1984 ). De Certeau highlights the means by which we navigate and subvert the agendas of power whilst, at the same time, investing our daily rituals with a significance that undermines the hierarchies associated with traditional notions of ‘practice’.

Sales
I am ideologically opposed to the commodification of creative practice. However, I do sell, and I do undertake both commissions and residences (but my fees are not governed by market forces). I charge £300 a day for my services. If interested in purchase or commissioning, please contact [email protected]