Artist Statement:

The social interactions played out daily around me, sparks my interest and many paintings are an attempt to distil what I see. Being a keen observer in life and in art, I find the relationships between people as well as their body language intriguing. 'Reading' body language is like 'reading' art – it is difficult to read true intent against the backdrop of your own assumptions. The challenge of capturing and portraying an emotion will probably keep me busy for a lifetime.

The irreducible part of humanity that is inherent to all and not connected to gender, race or class, (such as a search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, fear of death, etc.) plays out clearly in our South African context, it just takes effort to look past the stereotypes and lazy observations we have become accustomed to. However, the part of the Human Condition that fascinates me the most, is the contradictions within each individual. How can creation/destruction, hope/despair, the capacity for great good/evil, reside in all of us? This duality is a theme that haunts me and I find it very challenging to convey it in art. I believe that neither the brokenness shown in much of contemporary art, nor the beauty found in commercial art, is a full or total reflection of life.

I find the act of painting deeply fulfilling. Combining painting, drawing and wood mediums is stimulating because of the play between calculated planning and experience against spontaneous,accidental experiments. The content of the artwork can greatly be enhanced if the medium is well chosen.