"For me creating artwork is a way of discovering and exploring fascinating and often surprising relationships between materials and objects. I thrive on the energy and intensity that I experience during the process of making and I am keen to show and communicate that energy with others through my work."

Artist's Statement
I struggled with the lack of structure at University and ended up creating my own with Untitled 2007, 6ftx6ft. I felt I needed my own space in which to be creative. I found an empty garage and designated the space as my own creative territory. I think this was a turning point in my practice.

I worked on the piece for 6 consecutive weeks very intensively. I think a lot of its success can be attributed to the way in which it was made. For me, the process was the most important thing; it was an endurance test and an escape from daily life. I enjoyed seeing the controlled, mechanical process being undermined by the inevitable inconsistencies of a hand made object. It began to rust in the damp conditions of the garage and bright orange spots appeared. At first I felt the rust corrupted the essence of the work by destroying the purity of the relationship of the two materials but now I think it's a testament to the importance of the environment in which it was made. Being in my own creative space had great significance for me so in the end the fact that the work was penetrated and marked by its surroundings in this way is very fitting.

It was reassuring at the time to have something to focus on so exclusively and a real pleasure to watch it grow day by day. I really like the way two very simple, everyday materials can be combined to create something very unusual. When experimenting with hanging the work, I found that differing light conditions have an unusually significant influence on its appearance. When I eventually moved it out of the studio space and hung it for the first time, there was a strip of light that had been cast down the centre of the piece and as I moved, the light moved and the work really came alive.

Since making Untitled 2007 I have produced another 2 similar pieces of varying sizes. The third, Untitled 2008 , is 100cmx100cm and it was created for Mink Schmink. I felt it was important to show the 2 pieces side by side. This piece consists of the same white cotton and metal pins but is completely rust free, as I intended the first one to be. There is a surprising difference in the appearance of each piece and consequently in the different visual experiences that they can offer. The last being simple, uncontaminated, almost clinical in its whiteness with the focus entirely on the relationship between one simple, utilitarian material and the other, and the first having an additional neglected, used quality as well as being imbued with an antique, golden sheen courtesy of the rusting metal.  

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