Art is life imagined.
As a visual artist, turned multi-media artist, most of my work is now produced in a digital format. My work reflects my feelings, my life experiences and my perception of the world all its absurdities. Nothing is ever black and white, even when it’s actually black and white. Nothing should ever be taken at face value. Especially not my art. More often than not I work with bold colours; I love their richness and the way they shout at the viewer.
Visually I’m not sure I have a single style although much of it could be best described as surrealist or post-modern pop/punk art. Having said that, as far as I’m concerned, it’s just me and my art. I rarely set out to consciously produce work in a specific style. When I’m not producing simple line drawings my favourite technique is to build up pictures in layers, sometimes using digital ‘paint’, sometimes using collage and sometimes both together. I also love working with sound and video.
Inspiration comes from so many sources but popular music is always a rich seam to be mined. Humour features heavily in many of my pictures. Life should never be taken too seriously, even when you want to make a serious point. Living is a political act which is why I can’t but help reflect my political views in my art. I make no apology for this as not to do so would be a betrayal. Sometimes one of my pieces will inspire another work in a different medium; a sort of ekphrastic symbiosis.
I’ve always had a fascination for printing, duplicating and copying technologies. I originally started with linocuts, then in the eighties I used photocopying extensively (both for its effects and ease of duplication). I have always liked the idea that art can and should be available to all. Now in the age of digital art, photography, recording and printing, the technology seems to have caught up to where I’ve always wanted to be, and as a result my work can be displayed across many printed and display formats. I like that, with digital, there is no such thing as an ‘original’ for people to own. This I know causes some people problems. I’ve noticed many can’t quite accept that visual art can be produced without canvas, paper, pencil or paint. From that point of view it is no different to a video or a sound recording. People just need to get over themselves.