Three words that describe your work?
Vibrant, dramatic, luxurious.
Who or What inspires your luxurious artwork?
Who: I am inspired by so many artists, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Max Gimlet, Dale Frank and Gretchen Albrecht…
What: It’s more visual inspiration than emotional inspiration for me.
I find inspiration everywhere…fashion, architecture, our landscape! I have always found the combination of light reflecting off objects or within the landscape to be deeply inspiring. That’s what truly inspired the use of mirrors in my works.
Tell us about the creative process…
It’s a process! It involves a lot of layers, layers are a really important element in my creative process. Each transparent glass pour and each layer of paint slowly bring the work to life. Each layer directs the next colour and the composition, it evolves and unfolds layer by layer.
The process is very physical due to the materials I use and the style in which I paint, the more paint drips, pours and flicks the happier I am. Colour has always been the grounding element when I begin a work, the rest reveals itself as it goes.
How did you discover the medium and how has this evolved?
I started using marine boat resin on my artwork back in 2001, I was at Art School in Dunedin and back then you could only buy it from the local marina. I used it for my graduate show and I fell in love with the medium instantly, I remember wanting to pour it over everything but on a student budget, it was more of a dripple across my works than an elaborate pour.
The medium itself has evolved since I started using it back then, I no longer use a boat resin and I now am lucky enough to use a high-quality glass resin and don’t hold back on the volume of the pours.
What do you think it is about your work that immediately captures the hearts of collectors?
The glassy finishes, the vibrancy and the rich metallics. The works have a strong energy, they are fun and energetic but elegant and glamorous at the same time. The reflections and the light that is captured in the works adds an element of intrigue too.
What can we expect to see in this forthcoming exhibition ‘Disco Isn’t Dead’?
Colour, colour and more colour…mixed with sombre hues and rich metallics and a little sparkle. Disco was glamorous, it was the music of the jet set, it was psychedelic colours, flashy golds and mirrors. This exhibition captures my love for a little bit of the retro disco vibe but is mixed with the strong contemporary forms and mediums.
