Influences:
First and foremost, I am influenced by everything I see, feel and experience whenever I walk through any animated metropolis. Growing up in Hertford, the city of London is only forty minutes away by train; however, despite the relatively short distance, the contrasting appearance and ambience of the locations is palpable and I never fail to be impressed by it upon each visit. It is, predominantly, the unique sensations that London evokes which inspired the manner in which I work.
Conceptually, I have been fascinated with the psychogeographic maps produced by the Situationist International (SI). In 1955, psychogeography was defined by Guy Debord (the founder of the SI) as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals." The psychogeographic maps created by this group offered fresh, unconventional methods of surveying urban space; they neglected all Cartesian logic, formulating an exciting interpretation of the city which emphasised the experience of each metropolis. The edifying, somewhat idiosyncratic maps produced by the SI have had a bold effect on my philosophy and the overall method in which I approach my artwork. I, too, believe that the true enjoyment of a city is to be found in its natural essence: the unpredictable paths, the backstreets and the communities; everything that adds to the urban vibe. It is the intrinsic essence of the urban landscape that I aim to express through the marks I compose and it is a methodology that I have kept consistent throughout all of my work.
When viewing contemporary artwork, there are two artists that have had a sufficient impact on my own style of working: Kathy Prendergast and L.S. Lowry. Prendergast is prominently associated with her series City Drawings (1992-1999): small, delicately crafted pencil drawings that are based on contemporary maps of various capital cities. Every one of Prendergast's City Drawings reinforces the idea of free circulation, with every drawing in the series underlining the universal importance of such intertwining networks. The concept of free circulation is one that I have embraced in my own artwork; for example the large pools of ink that conjoin various segments of the painting. This ensures that all areas of the canvas are linked and enhances the overall balance. It is imperative, for me, that the arterial networks and lines of communication that are found in cities remain visible on the canvases. Lowry is an artist of whom I have always been fond. With a Mother from Salford and growing up in a house full of Lowry prints, his work has always been an inspiration to me. His desire to convey the atmospheric qualities and unique characteristics of the urban landscape, particularly the buildings, has been highly influential in the way I create my art. Indeed, the following statement from Lowry perfectly epitomises my own artistic response: "Most of my land and townscape is composite. Made up; part real and part imaginary [...] bits and pieces of my home locality. I don't even know I'm putting them in. They just crop up on their own, like things do in dreams." As I have said, this definitely exemplifies my own style of work and I certainly consider my own distinctive style of painting to be a subconscious and subsequent result of L.S. Lowry's influence. Nevertheless, despite the aforementioned influences, I do deem my artwork to be exceptionally unique. Both visually and conceptually I believe the originality of my work is clear to see.