In this body of work I have re-focused on my approach to abstract painting. The main images are taken from reproductions of art historical paintings. The human figure is removed, allowing the fabric and its folds to take centre stage. I have studied both historical and contemporary art to juxtapose possible relationships between the two. In the historical context the gesture becomes figurative, however as a comment on the contemporary the figurative is manipulated to imply the gestural.

My ongoing fascination with textiles is reflected throughout my practice, where I am attracted to the seductive qualities of fabrics and draperies and the differing characteristics of each folds. These paintings focus specifically on the dramatic and illusionistic rendering of fabrics in Baroque painting.

The abstract compositions are derived through a process of combining different working methods. I select and use cut outs of illustrations which I arrange and photograph, they are then reproduced using a combination of

contemporary and traditional painting methods. Pre-existing images are appropriated and recreated as abstract creating another kind of theatricality explored through the composition, contrast, colour, light and shade.

The painted marks are hyper detailed areas of flat painted brushstrokes, where particular attention is made to the fine detail and loose fabrics merging and weaving through each other. The scales of the fragments are altered to imply ambiguity in the works.

The colour palette mimics the photograph and concentrates on tonal contrasts from highlight to deep shadow, paying particular attention to the luminosity that shines onto the individual fabrics.

I am interested in the historical works from the Baroque period from the works of Caravaggio to Bernini where I am interested in capturing the action and movement of a fabric. A similar interest are also explored in the works of David Reed who’s works are read as post modernisation of baroque drapery and Fiona Rae who explores with approaches with painting, In my paintings images are combined by combining different  genres of work to create new spacial and abstract compositions.