How would you describe what you do to someone who hasn’t seen your art?
I like Paul Klee’s description of drawing as being “a line going for a walk.” That’s kind of what we do as artists. Like a visual conductor, we take materials for a walk, play, and decide where space should be given and taken away. I would say that my art is an amalgamation of drawing and painting — a marriage between the two. I aim for that. To me, drawing seems more like searching for ideas on the page before they have fully formed into thought. I love seeing that exploration captured in my art.
Can you recall when you first fell in love with art?
Like many in creative industries, I am totally and fantastically dyslexic. School was frightening; I used to cut up my clothes so I didn’t have to go. But I’m also a visual learner, and the art room at school felt most comfortable to me because it was full of invention, and allowed me to really think outside the box.
How long have you been practicing as an artist?
I went to art school over 20 years ago. Since art school, I have been making art or trying to free up space to make it. I’ve studied, had children, and now work in mental health. Life sometimes takes me away from my art, but I always return to it. Without visual problems to solve, I tend to create problems in other areas of my life. Art keeps me happy and well.
What is your subject matter?
I get my inspiration from social issues or my experience with them. I have produced work about COVID, the floods in Auckland, menopause, and the loss of my mother to dementia. Currently I am interested in how we spend time inside the houses we inhabit, neurodiversity and the cost of living. I research these interests while I paint which offers pathways for other ideas to seep into my art. My career in mental health requires continual learning and professional development, so there’s always a backlog of ideas and resources to draw from when starting any new work.
What materials do you use and why?
I am a collector of materials, and nothing is off the radar. I buy as many materials from the hardware store as I do from the art store. I like the alchemy and challenge of using mediums that are not traditional or don’t belong together. In a single work, you might find correction fluid, vivid markers, ballpoint pens, fabric, ink, enamel, and oil paint. I am not faithful to any particular medium. My $4 black vivid markers excite me as much as an expensive tube of oil paint.
