MA SHOWS

I began this year as a painter without a personal practice or philosophy. In trying to discover this for myself I have had a varied year.

Visuals have always been central to my work, coming from a theatre painting background, and so in the first term I focused on landscapes as they are widely received and understood as images of beauty and that’s how I wanted my paintings to be viewed. As the final lockdown came into play, I found myself in a new city very alone and very isolated and this was the pivotal moment in the direction of my work.

I wanted to depict universal appreciation for isolation and loneliness. It is a shared experience and I knew that I wanted to approach my paintings without personalising them so that anyone could envision themselves in my paintings. The figure became a large part of my work to create this visual imagery of isolation but in order to not create and share my own personal narrative I made a point not to include faces for any of my figures. This way I believe the work can be for anyone and the figure can be anyone a viewer wishes it to be and thus creates a more personal connection to an audience.

The muted, dulled colour choice and use of space in the paintings are important in creating an overwhelming atmosphere which perpetuates an emotional response which is essential in my attempt to create the feeling of desolation.