• Q: You mentioned that the aspect of reflection in your work relates to the concept of “as above, so below” and that references who we are within are reflected outward into the world and vice versa. Can you explain what inspired you to incorporate ‘as above, so below’ as a concept?
     
    A: The concept expresses the idea that there is a correspondence between different levels of existence, and that what is present in one space is reflected in another. In terms of my belief, this references that the physical realm and the spiritual realm are connected - that this physical reality is a physical manifestation of a spiritual world. Our access to the spiritual world centres on belief. We can ask how it is possible that in our human capacity, miracles may occur, for example in physical health or in financial circumstances. In my thinking, it is realising the power of the spiritual world and participating in it, thereby reflecting it in a physical space. I would like to go further with this, but we see the world in a human capacity. I wonder if we were to see the world from a more glorious place, how much more beautiful the world could be. In our human capacity we are centred on our daily life - the problems, the worries, the anxieties and the disconnects with people we love, but if we could lift our perception, maybe that would change. 

     

    Q: Do you believe in the notion of karmic debt?

     

    A: No, I do not believe in the notion of karmic debt. I am responding in the capacity of individual human existence. I think ‘as above, so below’, is also a collective concept, it is not originally a Christian quote, so I understand the question. I believe in the concept of Grace. I believe we are beautifully and wonderfully made, but we also make errors of judgement in our lives, and in the process, our hearts can become hardened, or we become desensitised and stop feeling deeply. By bringing ourselves before our Maker we receive Grace for our errors. Grace is receiving something good and beneficial that is not based upon our own performance, so that we can do good and be a positive light in the world. I do believe in consequences though..but if you can love yourself despite your imperfections through Grace, then you have something whole that can contribute positively. However karmic debt is the opposite for me, because it is about expecting punishment if you have made an error, and only receiving abundance if you have been somewhat perfect. I think it is unwise to believe that we can be or should be perfect. Grace also gives us the capacity to change and grow into better people.

     

    Q: Your work incorporates digital distortion. What are your thoughts on the increasing digitization in the visual arts industry?
     
    A: It is an interesting question because you cannot stop the future and often by embracing something you cannot stop, you can find the magic in it. I personally love making with my hands, because there is an imparting of human essence and of Spirit in the process of making.

     

    Q: Your work incorporates fragmentation and a shift to wholeness. What does this shift in two contrasting states represent for you?


    A: Digital distortion in my work references the noise of the world, the news, the chaos, the crime. It also represents our own internal distorted thinking, like a radio or tv being tuned out (if you consider auditory/visual distortion ) or a radio or tv that is tuned in (giving a sense of clarity). I speak specifically about clarity of spirit and mind. It is a call to quietness, to reflection. It is similar to the fact that sound has a relationship with silence, whereby silence exists because of sound and vice versa. I wonder if we could say that chaos (and all it might be) exists because of calm and vice versa. It is because of one that the other holds definition. 

     

    Q: Your work has fluctuated tremendously through the years. Would you say that you have a distinct subject matter or is your subject matter influenced by your experience?
     
    A: I feel that my real career as an artist with my unique style of painting is still emerging. For many years I focused on commissioned artworks which gave me huge insight into various ways to make art, in addition to a great deal of technical knowledge working with everything from steel and aluminium to sculptural materials and paint. Finding my own voice has been the quest, as through creating commissions you lose your voice. This was my return to university in 2013, to reignite my thinking and return to what is real for me. 

     

    Your current body of work speaks about subjective human experience being time bound and how that subjective experience can be deconstructed to  link to the question of universal truth. I have two questions in relation to this. 

     

    • Q: Do you believe that subjective experience can be transcended beyond the point of empathy?

     

    A: Empathy is a human thing, so yes subjective experience can transcend beyond our own understanding of empathy. 

     

    • Q:  Why the search for universal truth and what is your definition of universal truth (as in within what context does your search for universal truth emerge - be it religion, spirituality, embodied experience)?
     
    A: The search for universal truth is almost like the search for the pivot point; if you can find that, you can identify the circles or patterns you make. We cannot find that pivot point through relationships with other people, or our career paths, habits, lifestyle or even pursuing happiness and our dreams. However, I think we can find it in reflection. It is to accept our own subjectivity which is time bound, body bound, earthbound. Yet there is longing for objectivity, which I think can only be Spirit found, because we cannot be more than human. It is the search for objectivity through my own subjectivity.    

     

    Q: Your art medium varies considerably and I read that this references the creative process becoming a vehicle for more than the self, the individual. Can you please elaborate on this?
     
    A: I first studied art in the 1980s. I was fascinated with the movement of Abstract Expressionism, which conveys human essence and meaning through the act of painting in an abstract manner using formal elements of art, instead of a narrative image. This has been a big influence for me, because I fell in love with the magic of the process of creating happy accidents; magical leanings in a piece through imperfect areas. Expression and energy conveyed by working with large scale, huge brushes, massive amounts of paint on the palette. There is a freedom when you work like that. The practice of prayer or meditation prior to or within the process of painting allows a transcendence of the artwork, to bring something beautiful and meaningful down. But the same may be said of work that is painted when one is in a negative space, the work reflects that, and then brings it down. You have to decide as an artist what you are bringing into the world, because the artwork will continue to live on and have meaning after you have painted it. 
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