Biography

The exploration of the mind and the body is the main theme in my work. I aimed to portray how the body can represent states of the mind. 

When looking at a figure, we do not see it as a whole; our eye moves around, shifting focus onto different areas that are of interest, building up a mental collage that is ordered and rationalised by the brain and I wanted my work to be symbolic of the way we perceive ourselves mentally and physically as well as the way a person views someone in multiple perspectives through the unconscious and the conscious, both visually and psychologically. Looking at the idea that the mind and body are distinct or perhaps they are not. 

My work is inspired by the Japanese myth. The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone, and this was one of my aims, to convey how the mind sees each person differently.

The use of cloth was present throughout my project, especially in my most final piece. I felt that it added to the illusion of the unconscious, a metaphorical motif where the cloth was holding the figures up, like a thread and so helped create the sense of figurative realism captured in the mind. The cloth symbolised restriction, being stuck in the mind but also the link, what was holding all the figures together in this state of ‘unconsciousness’

Working in oils on paper, I use more neutral, skin tone colours to make the paintings more realistic. I use abstraction in the background to capture the consciousness and mental activity my art works, while glimpses of the figures draw more attention back to the physical activity.  My work is inspired by the Japanese myth. The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone., and this is my goal. To portray someone in multiple perspectives through the unconscious and the conscious, both visually and psychologically.