UNTITLED

                 

Can you briefly describe what you do?

I make small abstract works in acrylic on wood. 

What drives you to make work?

I don’t really know, I just do, it’s what interests me.

Can you tell me something of your day-to-day working practices?

When I first arrive at my studio I tend to just sit around, I’ll stare at what I’ve been working on the previous day, read things or listen to the radio. This can go on for a while as it takes me a long time to gear up to painting; I need to get myself into a certain mind set.

When I eventually get myself started I like to work without any pre set ideas. I like not knowing what’s going to happen, working things out and evolving the painting. I tend to only have two pieces on the go at any one time, any more and it becomes too much to handle. I’ll work layers of paint down and push them around before scraping them back. I do this until something interesting starts to happen and then try to follow this line until usually I ruin it, and the process begins again. Sometimes I’ll leave the work alone and allow it to set, I know I’ll go over it again but something about the structure may be interesting so this allows it to come through and inform the next layers. However a lot of this work is also buried in the final piece and doesn’t show through but somehow I feel it gives the painting a kind of energy and this is very important. I can spend a very long time on each piece, building it up and scraping it back again and again. It can start to get a bit desperate but this is what I find the most interesting. I love working in confusion and desperation as it makes me do drastic things that I wouldn’t think of, most of it can be a bit absurd but amazing things can come from this, mainly shit things but every so often something takes you by surprise.

How long have you been working in that way?

For a while now, I’m not sure it will change anytime soon and that’s ok.

Which artists have had the greatest affect on your work?

This is hard, so many have shaped my practice. I like artists whose works have a kind of defiance, like Phillip Guston, Rebecca Warren, Eric Bainbridge or those bird shit paintings Dan Colen did. I am also influenced by artists who take a more measured approach such as Thomas Nozkowski, James Siena or Varda Caivano, just a mix of a bunch of shit. However if I had to choose just one single artist I would have to say Frank Auerbach. It was through his work I realized I wanted to be a painter. I met him once on the street, we had the briefest of chats, and it was beautiful. 

What, outside visual art, informs your practice?

When I’m working I try to block everything out and focus purely on the work, so I would have to say nothing. But when I’m not painting I’m interested in all manner of typical things mainly talking about art over a beer.

How would you like people to engage with your work?

By looking at it and getting excited by it.

Have you seen anything recently that has made an impression?

Some of those ceramics Marcus Harvey made for his exhibition Tattoo. I never saw the actual show just some images on the web, but I've found myself thinking about them when I'm painting. 

Do you have anything exciting on the horizon?

Not really, maybe a few shows or the pub later.