ARTIST STATEMENT
‘Ripples’ explores the focus of how external influences can affect a person’s identity. Growing up, negative habits and then loss of my mother have certainly had a profound impact in shaping my expression of identity. The symbol systems coded within my artwork, such as the engulfing body of water, blank eyes, lights and distorted eye reflections in the ripples, all relate to my personal experiences and the hidden aspects of our identities that are concealed or lost beneath the surface. Upon viewing my artwork, the audience is invited to contemplate external influences on identity and what their own reflection might look like.
ARTWORK PROCESS
In my artwork 'Ripples', I was influenced by the expression, colour and movement in Viktorija Lapteva’s portrait paintings and Shinji Ohmaki’s utilisation of traditional materials and techniques in new or unexpected ways in ‘Liminal Air -Descend-’ (2006). Implementing traditional techniques with acrylic on canvas, I painted a detailed face immersed in a dark body of water and chose to leave the eyes blank, painting vivid coloured reflections in the foreground. I then incorporated LED lights by cutting slits into the finished painting and shining the lights through from behind in a sequence to challenge traditional methods of display.
