The magic of illusion
I've always taken such huge inspiration from the theatre. Drawn by the dazzling lights, the larger-than-life characters, the enormous emotions and the magic that burns into the audience’s retinas from the stage.
Watching an opera from the wings the other night, I was searingly thrilled by the fantasy effect of faces painted in white powder and glitter, illuminated by the lighting. In that moment, this world of illusion seemed far more real than the reality outside - the one of wet pavements, traffic jams and supermarket queues. It all just swirled away like water down a drain.
There's always an element of the performer that goes into my drawings and paintings. Characters that, I feel, are aware of embodying something 'other', something larger than themselves. Which is interesting because I think when people are drawn to a particular piece of mine, I feel it's because they recognise something of themselves in the work. Which is, in my opinion, one of the most important reasons we need art – to help us to understand ourselves.
