In support of my application for the Forgotten Realms residency, please find a sample of my works below.

Energies Project

As part of a research project, artists were asked to create artwork that reflected on the effect of a uk coastal town transferring from traditional heavy industry to green energy production. After spending time in the town and the yards for the installation of wind turbines, I created two pieces of artwork for an exhibition that aimed to spark conversation amongst local people.

The first piece was a traditional oil painting which took a mythological view of the industry changes. I was struck by how similar the machinery and structures of the turbine construction and installation was to the heavy industry of the past. This lead me to consider the connection between the history of coal mining and shipping that dominated the area and the creation of new green energy – this was an evolution of the town being part of powering the country, not a complete transformation into something new.

Interestingly, this piece sparked a lot of conversation with local residents over whether the coal giant was installing, or removing the turbines.

The second piece was an audio visual element that highlighted the disconnect I had seen between the way that traditional and green industries were talked about and the reality I had seen. Discussions from local ship-breakers about their work and a talk about wind energy by green engineers were placed on seperate stereo tracks to play either side of the audience, while photographs and footage were played on a video screen.

Performance Painting

As part of the Tyne Coast Arts Festival, I accompanied a concert lead by Bradley Cresswick. During the concert I painted a large canvas in oils, responding directly the music being played, which I had not heard before. This was the resulting artwork.

Creative Consultation

A project to speak to the residents of ex-mining villages in the North West of the borough of North Tyneside. I set up at local community centres to invite people to talk about how they felt about their area and to invite them to take part in making some artwork by using colours to represent their feelings about the area. I then used this information to create a symbolic painting representing the feelings that the more affluent coastal areas overshadowed the North West.

Woodland Walk

A participatory project to transform two acres of overgrown industrial storage into a sculpture-filled nature walk. In this first stage, found-objects from the storage yard are being repurposed to become iconic sculptures that combine heritage and creativity.

Interactive Painting

During a day-long event at Newcastle Comedy Club The Stand, I invited the public to help me create a painting. Anyone who attended was welcome to pick up a brush and add marks to the canvas, which I then responded to, creating an evolving artwork over the course of several hours.