My art practice explores experiences of ecology and neurodivergence which, for me, are closely entwined. Painting, creating installations or performing, my work arises from the somatic sense of immersion I feel in relation to landscapes, plants and creatures - most often birdlife. My pieces communicate through symbolism and aesthetics - providing a location for sharing of diverse stories and connection.
When school-age I drew, read, wrote and wandered the countryside at every opportunity. In some ways, consciously developing an art practice in my 50s feels like coming full circle. At the same time, I never really stopped practising.
Post psychology degree, I worked in charities focusing on autism, environmental issues and supporting children using performance. Without naming it, I brought art - from events to cakes - into all these roles, my activism, such being a XR arrestee, and motherhood. I also devoured other artists’ work, from Tate Modern to community projects.
Seeing myself primarily as an artist is recent. I experienced a revelatory Covid lockdown, thanks to furlough and online art classes, and I decided to leave my role as charity Director to concentrate on art. Now my journey feels like an accelerated process of discovery - of my talent, media, techniques, ideas and possibilities and, concurrently, of ecology and my neurodivergence, which I experience as closely entwined.
Through classes exploring expression and technique, I discovered my love of liquid inks and painting birdlife. With these, I capture character and movement, sharing my embodied sense of connection. I’m inspired by the delicacy and liveliness of Japanese paintings and the fluidity of calligraphy.
Four years on, I am now studying for a MA in Fine Art at Bath Spa University - dramatically extending my practice, through understanding the possibilities and limitations of various media and mastering new skills. Along with deepening insight into ecology and neurodivergence, this has helped me refine technical and conceptual commonalities across my work.
‘Belonging’, my first installation, opened me to new expression. I worked with inspiration from the subconscious to Matisse to birdwatching, and explored 3D approaches. The kinetic silhouettes of myself and a murmuration symbolise incorporating our shadows in order to experience belonging. My first foray into sharing complex experience through visual art - audiences resonated with it, aesthetically and emotionally.
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