A Can of Worms is a collection of oil paintings, exhibited at the Anna Leonowens Gallery in 2018. Representing an extensive exploration into the ability to create life from non-life through a sculptural paint application. This body of work serves as a visual representation of the things that stimulate my senses and spark my curiosity. Gravitating towards intricate designs, colours, and textures found in nature. A Can of Worms replicates our natural environment and its healing properties through an intuitive and abstract painting process. Personal wellness can be achieved through exposure to nature, even if its fake. A Can of Worms asks the viewer to be present with themselves and the work, similar to how nature invites us to be present. I created this body of work for firstly for myself, it was a meditative process that I could navigate intuitively until I discovered what I was trying to make. While painting, I was actively thinking about how I could make the paint feel alive and growing. I wanted the work to exceed the edge of the canvas and feel like it was overflowing with life. Each painting did not have a plan; I would begin with mixing up a colour, choose a cake decorating tip, and start applying the paint on a horizontal surface using a cake spinner as a base for the canvas. Often scraping it all off and starting over. Many of the paintings in A Can of Worms have multiple different paintings/attempts beneath the surface. Recycling the work that doesn't quite do enough for me, allows me to build up the surface to be incredibly thick, painting on top of paintings on top of paintings until it is done. Upon completion, A Can of Worms transformed into a body of work for the viewer, not only for me. It was fascinating to witness the reactions other people had to these paintings at the exhibition opening; confusion, interest, happiness, giggling, the urge to touch. These are things that tell me that A Can of Worms did what it was supposed to do; share the things that interest me with others through painting. Like many artists, the work that I create is an extension of myself, I have a powerful connection to it. It is hard to put words to this connection because it is like explaining how your foot feels connected to your body. It is part of my existence and how I process the world around me. The reason or inspiration behind why I create artwork is that it makes me feel amazing, its a form of self-love. A practice that I maintain for my own sanity and well being. Some days in the studio are frustrating, but like any relationship, there are good and bad days that require balance. Sharing my practice with others is an additional reward.
Cake is a series of oil paintings that investigate texture and surface inspired by natural growths and organic patterns. Through additive and reductive techniques, the painted surface becomes sculptural. With attention to colour relations and an interest in dense heaping forms the work evokes a life like sensibility.
While studying at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton Alberta, I did a series based on a found image. This image was supposedly found in a camera from a plane crash wreckage. The Plane Crash series is an exploration of colour and the feelings that they can bring on for the viewer. I experimented with clashing and unsettling combinations, while exploring what severe distress might look like in colour.
