Gathering Ideas
My search for materials has been impacted by high costs and a desire to minimise environmental impact where possible. This has led to me scavenging the Earth for alternatives; I frequently repurpose old drawings, paintings and sculptures to create new work, giving as much life to new materials as I am able. Many of my paints and canvasses have been kept since I was a teenager, some even handed down to me. I have continued this act of handing down old unwanted materials to people I know will use and appreciate them to reduce waste. Old clothes and pieces of rubbish are added to my scrap collection, which in turn is used to create sculptural objects. I often seek out materials in charity shops, collecting dusty frames and frayed fabrics, but most of all I enjoy plucking things from the ground. I have a particular affinity for any metal items I can find (particularly if they are rusting), and have found countless old nails, springs, a horseshoe, chains, even a scaffolding joint. I love that each of these are embedded with a story outside of my creative process. I think of myself as a magpie on a continual quest to collect things, whether they be tangible objects, images, or mere impressions of things and places. Here I have curated some of the most prominent imagery that continually inspires my work.
Found Objects
Beginning during lock down when I was unable to venture out to buy materials, I started to look for objects around my own house that could be used to create artwork. Sat in the attic I sifted through old clothes, curtain hooks, wonky nails and screws, cushions, loose threads, just about anything. This culminated in a large, discombobulated sculpture for my foundation art course, but sparked an instinct to consider absolutely everything available to me as a potential material. I began to take my collecting outside, and have since gathered stones, shells, ash, dirt, leaves, nails, sand, chains, horseshoes, springs, glass, and old bricks to create work with. This instills a true sense of wonder in me toward my surroundings, and I cannot understate the value of stopping to marvel at objects you might otherwise walk straight past. Considering their unique properties, a particular crack, a stain, or simply how something came to a particular place is frequently something I get lost in.
Antique Cast Iron
Last year I procured a book on Antique Cast Iron from my favourite secondhand bookshop in Cardiff. The cover is yellow, and the faded pages inside are home to exquisite black and white illustrations of decorative cast iron pieces, ranging from fireplaces to doorknobs to fences. I have long held an interest in old crafts, and these items sit in such stark contrast to the cheap, mass-produced, soulless furniture/ infrastructure we see today that I couldn’t resist exploring them in my work. I love to think about how functional items can sit within art, and how art can find its way into functionality. While I may dream of learning these traditional techniques someday, for now I hope to immortalise them on the page, and preserve their legacy a little longer.
Churches/ Graveyards
Over the last 18 months, I have been exploring old churches and marvelling at them for both grandeur and simplicity. While I am not religious, I have enjoyed taking a moment to sit in silence and contemplate among stained glass and wooden pews. I am often led to thinking of the artisans who worked to create spaces for reflection and community. I think about the many footsteps to walk the tiles before mine. I also think of misdeeds in the name of the Church over the years and feel sad that such beautifully crafted buildings have not always provided community and sanctuary in the way that they ought to. Small, simple ruins in tiny villages can be just awe-inspiring as grand ornate catherdrals - a recent trip to St Mary’s church in Tintern had a profound impact upon me. The Church burned down in the 1970’s, but the ruin still stood with ivy creeping up the tower and through cracked tiles. It was beautiful to witness nature reclaiming a site that had no doubt been important to many people over centuries. It felt that the church blended into its own graveyard, a relic fading away in the hills.
Landscapes/ Natural Exploration
I thoroughly enjoy exploring outdoors, often finding inspiration in both grand lanscapes and tiny microcosms. A crack in a wall can hold equal value to a vast stretch of land. While I tend to veer away from replicating landscapes, I constantly seek them out to observe the patterns, shapes and light they yield. Rippling water, twisting branches and crumbling rocks all inspire me to explore abstract forms within my work.
