ARTIST STATEMENT

Nostalgia plays a big role in my work. It’s what I return to. I embrace words like “craft” and “childlike”. Soft colours, soft fabric, soft subject matter – it’s all an attempt to connect with Little-Deena. A slow process of towering building blocks, allowing them to fall, crash, and giving myself time to build them up again.

Dear diary,  today I looked at my practice and wondered: “What’s this all about?” And then I wondered: “Why am I wondering this?” Followed by: “Is it a problem that I talk to myself more than others?” 

I guess my practice is a bit of a conversation with myself. 

Rooted in my lived archive, my practice tries to nurture my inner child, letting her know that it’s OK to feel big things without knowing how to express them in a way that’s legible to others. 

Working mainly with oil paint, I create a world where I’m free to dance and move with the medium, giving myself breathing room, a safe space, a home. I explore my own emotions, big and small, through self-portraits, monitoring a silent language; a dialogue between myself and a mirror. 

I enjoy creating comfort objects, whether that’s a teddy bear with a brick in its belly becoming a sort of weighted blanket, or a really large stuffed duck with a long neck to give you a hug. I wish to create a shared space where people can reminisce, feel held and safe. The tactility of my work is important to me; fluffy fabrics, cushioned surfaces, it’s a means to feel the warmth and security that these objects bring. 

I came to this bizarre realisation that being in your 20s is WEIRD. Especially when you’re still figuring out who you were as a child. It’s like a double discovery; I find myself analysing the parallels between the present moment and the moments I experienced when I was small(er). Embracing the change, enjoying the movement, allowing the things that harbour anxiety to sit and stay for a little while, maybe bringing them a cup of rooibos tea, chatting to them, seeing their point of view, reminding myself that these big feelings are temporary, and that change is the only constant. 

My practice is a meditation, a coping mechanism, a diary entry.