It was punk and the art of Gee Vaucher
that inspired me to take up photomontage.
We were familiar with collage as an act of
surrealism or experiment, but it was the
artists of her generation that made us
realise that it was an artform that
could actually say something, too
Striking and enigmatic, it was work
that made you silent. In a world full of
depictions that were designed to sell us
a specific view of reality, it seemed like
genius to return those images back
warped, corrupted and bearing
whole new meanings.
In my work, I try to embrace the
surrealism of everyday life.
The pieces exist in a liminal space -
not just cut and paste collage, but
heavily painted to look as if they might
just feasibly exist in the same space,
although they depict realities
that never really existed.
As for the surrealism of everyday life ...
My early childhood was spent in
inner city Manchester. My dad was
a groundsman. This meant that we
lived in a 2 up, 2 down house
in the middle of a big cinder yard.
Large sheds, a wooden pavilion
and acres of sports fields to
wander and play in each day.
Every year we had a bonfire.
It would often be as tall as the house,
because everybody in the surrounding
area would bring their broken furniture.
A night of pagan celebration in
the middle of the modern city.
Everyone was from somewhere else
- or their parents were.
Me too - My mother was German,
she kept hold of her passport
and never became British.
Later, she worked as a cleaner.
One of her clients was a member
of the famous Rothschild family.
As an adult I took to the
counter culture world.
Living among Europeans,
experiments with music, art,
travel and alternative housing.
I found that one of the essential
skills for living a creative life
is insisting on being out
of your comfort zone.
My intention with my work
is to fully exploit that moment
when you see an inventive
painting or photograph
for the first time.
That 3 or 4 second gap
when your mind adjusts
and you find yourself asking
"Just what am I looking at here ?"
