I draw on folktales, proverbs and the natural world to inspire my drawings and prints.
My aim is to set up a narrative that explores our experience in the world, capturing instances of beauty that could equally point to a darker edge. Silhouetted or linear figures populate many of the individual prints, although my most recent work explores hybrid botanical forms inhabited by mechanical insects inspired by robotic toys.
Working on initial sketches with pencil and water colour, I develop ideas through the creation of a collagraph plate. Scratched lines mixed with layers of textured fabrics or low-relief plaster on a cardboard base make for a rich tactile quality in the final print. The complex colours in my handmade prints mean that only small editions of an image are ever produced.
A visit to Bowen Island, near Vancouver, has inspired a series of monoprints which explore our relationship with woods and forests. The beauty of the natural forms and the sinister nature of what remains hidden.
