In the Studio

TAPESTRIES

Introduction

Tapestries draw heavily on Americana, its cartoons, films, symbols and myths, colliding them with imagery from global politics, war, technology and the military-industrial complex.

Familiar images are layered, repeated and disrupted, creating collisions between humour and violence, nostalgia and unease.

Popular culture, politics and power

Growing up surrounded by American cartoons, television and film, I’ve always been fascinated by the way popular culture embeds itself in our collective memory.

Disney, The Wizard of Oz and Psycho collide with political imagery, missiles and military aircraft. Familiar symbols are taken out of context and recombined, shifting between humour and unease.

I’m particularly drawn to cartoons and the comic-book frame, and their sense of suspended animation. Look away temporarily and the whole thing’s moved on.

THE SUGAR-COATED SPECTACLE OF POWER, VIOLENCE AND NOSTALGIA

American Tapestry (in progress)
Oil and mixed media on linen
200cm x 135cm

Psychobabble
Oil and mixed media on canvas
200cm x 100cm

A colorful abstract mural featuring sketches of Mickey Mouse, images of Minnie Mouse, and various doodles, splashes of paint, and graffiti in the background.
A mixed-media piece featuring a woman's portrait with an X over her mouth, cartoon birds, and a cartoon duck holding a U.S. flag, all set against an abstract background with scribbles and paint splatters.

Kimono (in progress)

Colorful painted paper kimono with abstract floral and animal designs, featuring red, orange, pink, and black hues and the number '123' at the bottom.
Red wall with various sketches and images, including a tiger, a panda, a dragon, fighter jets, a tank, and handwritten notes.

Chinese Tapestry i(n progress)
Oil and mixed media on canvas
160cm x 120cm

A colorful drawing on grid paper featuring a missile, a house, and cartoon animals including a cow, a rabbit, a bird, and a poop emoji with glasses.
A blue-themed art mural featuring Disney characters Donald Duck and two small birds, with a portrait of a woman driving a space shuttle labeled 'NASA United States' and pixelated alien skulls in the background.
Artwork featuring three pop art portraits of women with colorful, abstract elements and black crosses over the eyes of two women, and a purple plus sign attached to the head of the leftmost portrait.
Mixed media collage including a vintage black-and-white photograph of a woman, stickers of Mickey Mouse, a line drawing of a bird, geometric patterns, and abstract scribbles on a textured background.
Colorful mural featuring Mickey Mouse with butterfly wings, sitting on a hoverboard with a red heart on his chest, smiling and with one hand on his hip. Next to him is a small blue bird with glasses and a red beak, looking at a blue spray paint can with a red top. The background includes abstract shapes, faces, and scribbles in pastel colors.
Open art journal displayed on a wooden easel, featuring collaged images and mixed media with abstract and figurative elements, including a child's face, dark smudges, handwritten annotations, and oversized black curly brackets.
Street art mural featuring military helicopters, explosions, and cartoon characters, including a yellow character with black hair in a yellow background on the right side.

Who bombed Black Bambi?
Oil and mixed media on linen
97cm x 77cm

Bomb Squad
Oil and mixed media on canvas
100cm x 70cm

Blue Marion
Oil and mixed media on linen
120cm x 100cm

Studies
Mixed media on canvas boards / wooden panels

Triple Psycho 66cm x 46cm
Invaders 66cm x 46cm
Shoot! 180cm x 50cm

Sketchbook pages

A black and white art piece displayed on an easel, with the left side being white with a black circular element, and the right side having a textured, distressed appearance.