A lot of my paintings glow in the dark as a reference to corals glowing when they are under stress from environmental factors. My work always reflects on the severe impact we knowingly have on the wildlife we share our planet with.
Ocean Miniatures
Clay as a material has allowed me to explore the breaking down of coral reefs, and their fragility. I use ceramics as more of a performance than a final piece due to the changing nature of the work.
ARTIST’S NOTE
For the past four years, coral reefs have been my obsession. Their enormous variety of textures, colours, shapes and behaviours have sparked a creative interest within my artwork, and I haven’t been able to make work about anything else. I’ve recreated and captured corals in photography, film, paint, ceramics, pen, charcoal, bleach and even print. Perhaps it is the other-worldly appearance they possess, or the way they are colonies of tiny polyps making up one large living structure. Nevertheless, my recent work depicts coral scenes in oils - colourful by day and glowing at night. My work covers not just the beauty of nature but the devastating loss of it too. Coral bleaching is a huge issue we face in the 21st century, alongside plastic pollution, overfishing, and many more manmade environmental threats. Reminding people of these beautiful creatures we share our planet with is what inspires me to paint them in oils. It serves to make them permanent in some way. It would be tragic to live without them.