My work probably asks more questions than it answers; I investigate, explore and respond to life cycles and processes through my art, interrogating my modest place within the scheme of things and in so doing I strive to deepen my personal connection with the forces prevalent in my environment. Consequently much of my work is dominated by natural form and rhythm. Patterns manifest and reveal themselves, motifs ebb and flow, rivers discharge into seas, leaves and seeds fall softly and men and fish swim with irreversible momentum across canvas and paper.
Since I was born and continue to live and work in Seychelles it is the Indian Ocean environment that permeates, drives and informs everything that I do. I live next to the ocean and its sounds, smells and beauty are represented through form and movement in my work. The ideas are, as I grow older, increasingly refined, simpler, yet I hope stronger. In them the symbiotic forces of nature collide and collude. Within my aesthetic environment natural forms intertwine and overlap, creating a sense of place recognisable as the multi-layered panorama of light and texture I see when I look out at the sea and sky every morning.
As well as drawing inspiration from natural shape, rhythm and cycle my work is also, to an extent, self-referencing: ideas and images from past work will be reappraised and incorporated into new work, similar to the manner in which a writer will resurrect and reinvent a favourite character time and again. Looking back over the body of work I am encouraged to perceive a recognisable and consistent mythology, the synthesis of a personal journey, its marks,
memories and mantras. I like my work to possess energy and inspire dialogue. I hope that people who see my work will be drawn to empathise and well as intuit. I hope that they will feel a sense of celebration and integrity as well as a respect for the natural forces that drive not only my work but the lives of us all, through birth, procreation, decline and mortality. After all, we all share one fundamental journey, albeit one with infinite permutations. My symbols, shapes and patterns collectively provide access points for individuals to connect with, bringing their own sense and experience to these ‘open doors’.
My work is not intended to be obscure or confusing – quite the opposite in fact, as it is rooted in the most universal and powerful elements that we, as a species, possess. Its aesthetic is generated instinctively, often with minimal planning. Final pieces are realisations of thought, with compositional decisions made through the direct physical manipulation of visual elements; wire is bent, card shaped, wood singed and distressed, paint applied. Etchings evolve in different colourways through the over-printing of different plates; embossed copper sheets are integrated with wood and canvas through the heavy montage of assemblage. There is an intended element of surprise and spontaneity.
I believe that an artist has a responsibility to send home truthful and entertaining reports from the varied topographies visited on life’s journey. I hope that my own are interesting as well as authentic, accessible as well as informative and that through them can be seen not only Seychelles in all its astonishing beauty, but also traces of all of us who pass across it.