Artist Statement
People’s lifestyles, attitudes and absurdities within western society, and environmental issues are my greatest source of inspiration. I translate this through transposing human/animal characteristics into my sculptures and installations. Using a juxtaposition of materials, subject and context, I aim to challenge and enlighten my audience that will provoke an emotional response. Whether this is through a quirky mixture of humor with the subject/props/environment or character is immaterial – it is the essence of the ‘emotion’ and ‘presence of the story’ that I look for in all my work.The materials I use are varied although I have worked predominately with animal fibre in the past 4 years. This suits the tactile qualities of the characters, creating fascination, drawing the viewer into a false sense of security to engage with serious or difficult subjects that are behind each piece. Integrating these needle felted sculptures with artifacts and/or, the raw environment, resonates extraordinarily well with the integrity of the work. Often large scale or placed in alternative settings, I’ve started to use photography and film to bring the work to a more realistic conclusion for exhibition. Some installations involve projection on to objects.