Why is it here?
Creativity is the key to 21st century work and life. My creative explorations are here to show how our different facets and experiences develop us as humans, and give us unique perspectives whatever our career journey. It might seems strange to travel from architecture to careers to the outdoors, but it really isn’t that strange at all. Wouldn’t life be dull if we all followed a single path and did the same things?
Creativity is for every job and every industry, not just the creative industries.
Creativity, like any skill, can be developed and nurtured, targeted for improvement. Have a go and see what you can achieve with some creativity.
What IS my creativity?
I create tactile art using paint and other materials around different themes.
I create conceptual artwork using ideas as the central generator of the work.
I create work with and inspired by others.
Project work, with schools and in the community, is part of my practice, helping me to engage with new ideas and help other people break free from the rigid constraints of the school curriculum. My personal creative interests include:
Materiality – I like the way different materials work and look and feel, and how they express different things according to how they are used and manipulated. I get physically involved in making each work and sometimes work for up to 12 hours at a time standing and moving around the piece I am creating. No material is out of bounds, and I often work with hair.
Evocation – The use of materials in different and surprising ways to evoke your feelings and emotions – to create connections and experiences that you can enjoy or connect with.
Questions – Viewer involvement in the works is important; through an emotional connection or to find your own meaning and interpretation of the work.
Text – Language, words and text pervade all of our spaces, but so often lack. I am interested in the nuances of language and how the expressions we use in everyday language can be appropriated and examined through artworks. Works using text often provide an element of reflection and self-assessment.
Environment – I am a passionate environmentalist, with a real grasp of the practicalities and difficulties of living sustainably. Some of my work alludes to my thoughts and observations of our landscapes and environment.
Stereotypes and challenge – I like to challenge pre-conceptions and invoke discussion, debate and comment.