ARTIST STATEMENT After completing my first wood series I began to carve the external form as a sculptured shape to provide structure and line in the composition. Increasingly I constructed compositions across multiple pieces. Working on the carved woods opened up new opportunities to create a bolder form of expression. I have always seen faces in rocks and trees in nature. By carving the boundaries into shapes my imagination took wings and I felt creatively free to create these new faces from the hidden forms I see in the natural world. I felt very energised and invigorated because I had found a new and fresh way to express my artistic voice. For me imagination is like oxygen, I can't live without it. When I paint my aim is not to make the wall look beautiful. I paint because I have something to say and I need to express it. I want to make people think about what's going on in the world. My paintings often begin with a personal feeling or idea about something I have experienced or observed. As I paint I explore my thoughts and feelings about human life and human relationships on a personal, social, cultural and political level. I mix my ideas and feelings into the paint and use my imagination to find new ways to voice them.