Exquisite Arts Magazine Vol 3 - Nov/ Dec 2016 | Page 22

Initially art was just a means to get
the pain and darkness out of me – a
means of art therapy I suppose
without realising it at the time. Unable
to leave the house, I just sat on my
sofa and drew and drew with charcoal
for hours at a time.

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But then something happened, and I
started to create work that gave hints
of a deeper talent. It was through
encouragement from my mother and
my mentor (Tim French – Goldsmith
graduate, artist and Head of Art) that
I just went for it. I studied and studied
different artists and art history.
Strangely art was the only subject
matter my mind could absorb and
manage to read – anything else for a
time was just jumbled words. My
earliest key influences were William
Kendridge and Mark Bradford – not
just for their works but the social and

political messages underlying each
piece spoke to me. The powerful
integrity and meaning of their work
connected with me as I searched for
something concrete to hold onto.
I then just wanted to explore
everything and experiment with all
media. I loved having no rules to
constrain me and looking back, maybe
this was more important at the time
than I realised – a freedom my mind
needed away from the shackles of the
depression and darkness. It felt as if I
actually stepped inside the work and
was somehow inside the canvas. This is
why every piece of my work has a very
personal story and feel. A curator
working with me described her work
“as each having a piece of your soul left
in them” and to me this is the most
accurate description of the process I go
through. My work outlines a number of