I am fundamentally a landscape artist, driven by a desire to explore and record our continually shifting relationship with the environment we inhabit. The places I visit are not simply backdrops; they are active participants in the work, holding stories of change, use, neglect and renewal. My practice is rooted in observation, walking, gathering and revisiting, allowing time for a deeper understanding of place to emerge.
Sustainability sits at the heart of my work, both conceptually and materially. I rarely use virgin materials. Instead, I work with what has already lived a life, objects that have been discarded, altered by weather, or left behind through human activity. These materials are remade, recycled or repurposed, becoming integral to the work rather than incidental. Their previous histories matter as much as the images and narratives they help to form.
- the artist
OMIYAGE (お土産)
Inspired by the work of Japanese photographer Masataka Nakano, widely recognized on Instagram for capturing atmospheric urban scenes across Tokyo, Okinawa and Kumamoto. I have been following the photographer for many years, and he has been kind enough to let me use his photographs as source material for these pieces. The collaboration comprises of 12 individual matchbox paintings mounted on Observer guidebook covers, each matchbox is inspired by one of Masataka's individual photographs. Although I have not had the opportunity to travel to Japan myself, Masataka’s street scenes have somehow transported me to these places and inspired me to bring them to life in my studio, in the form of these tiny matchbox scenes.