Artist statement

My creative process unfolds inconspicuously in various situations—whether during commutes, at work, or while spending time with family and friends. I often sketch not only passersby but also the people I interact with regularly, capturing their facial expressions, postures and the everyday objects around them. This practice trains my muscle memory and enriches my visual vocabulary, building a reservoir of images in my long-term memory that fuels my painting practice.

While my sketches are rooted in reality, my paintings are born from imagination. Forms and figures emerge from visual memories stored deep in my subconscious, revealing themselves spontaneously as my brush moves without preconceived notions of the final image.

Painting, for me, is a dynamic act of evolution and transformation—a dialogue between creation and erasure where the imagery constantly shifts. The process begins with random mark-making. As the painting develops, it undergoes numerous changes: painted over, wiped away and glazed. Sometimes I turn the canvas upside down before continuing.

When nothing seems to work, I introduce homogenising glazes that obscure previous layers, leaving faint traces underneath. This is a fresh start—not a clear canvas, but one whose remnants allow new forms to emerge. I manipulate the new layer until it develops an emotional and visceral intensity.

My latest work explores anthropomorphic portrayals of emotion through animals, giving them human expressions that reflect our own emotional states. The interplay between familiar and strange invites viewers to see reflections of their inner lives in distorted but recognisable faces.

My influences range from Rembrandt, Delacroix and Tiepolo to Francis Bacon, Philip Guston and Leonora Carrington. Through the paintings I explore boundaries between real and imagined, observer and observed, inviting a dialogue in which every brushstroke can reveal new meanings.