Class has always been a significant issue to the British. It is frequently used to inform fictional narratives in literature, film and television across a broad spectrum from high culture to low brow mass entertainment, and as a subject for sociological, political and cultural documentary and debate in the media. As an artist I am interested in taste as the visual manifestations of this class consciousness. I respond to the complex codes that surround the superficially simple choices made by consumers. The domestic environment is the perfect expression of this complexity, as is the retail outlet stuffed with a plethora of furniture, wallpapers, curtains and carpets from which lifestyle can be chosen and class expressed through one’s consumerism. On a personal level I am challenged by my own desire to express and define my self by my stuff as much as anyone else – I don’t see myself as outside of the consumerist imperative so perhaps see the work as cathartic or self-analytical. There is a particularly autobiographical element in the suburban house paintings. I am a product of the suburbs and have, in common with many other suburbanites, an ambivalent relationship with them and what they represent.

2. In the works 'bedroom suite I and II' and 'recliner' the furniture becomes an object of Art, but also an object of desire. Would you consider taking the furniture out of the socio - culture environment and putting them somewhere else? This would perhaps change their definition and lead to a more abstracted representation.

I have previously used the idea of isolating individual objects – ornaments, pieces of furniture etc – to take them out of their usual context. I have tried to make the reading of the work more ambiguous through this process of abstraction. The viewer is encouraged to look at the subject differently due to its removal from its usual points of reference. In these particular works I was also very interested in the idea of a specimen or sample. In other words that the chosen object in each painting should be seen not just as the thing itself but as evidence of some larger concept. I have also experimented with the relative scale of things for example juxtaposing doll’s house furniture with non-miniature objects or painting small ornaments much larger than life. I am drawn to realistic representation and use of conventional pictorial devices, but more recent work has certainly been exploring the use of an obviously constructed, less believable, space combined with a more varied approach to formal elements such as colour and mark making.

3. The painting 'come into the garden', which can be viewed on the gallery website is interesting as you seem to have taken a new direction in your work. This painting shows the interplay between interior and exterior, showing a fused construct of interior living area and garden in the same premise. Were you trying something new here? Do you think your representation socio - culture is formulating into abstraction?

Yes, this painting, in common with its companion piece, ‘New’ was definitely an attempt to explore my themes through creating an imaginary or artificial space and to move away from the restrictions inherent in working from ‘the real’. I wanted to see whether an environment controlled by me as opposed to a found scene such as a shop display or existing interior would enable me to speak more precisely and coherently.
In addition the process of making the works was very interesting to me. A small scale collage made from imagery from catalogues and my own photographs was the starting point. This was then scaled up to fill the large picture space. At this point I was immediately struck by the possibilities for changes and extra additions that presented themselves. I think the size of the painting was very liberating as I had space to experiment with ideas such as the inside / outside notion.

4. The painting 'why wait' is different from your other works, as the document as the image is torn and become fragmented here. You have shown the objects of consumerism floating in a background of wallpaper. This is an interesting interpretation of perhaps the subconscious mind fantasying about objects of desire. What was your idea here?

This work was made shortly before ‘come into the garden and ‘new’ so shares many of the developmental ideas outlined above. It is a very significant piece for me as it enabled me to combine my love of detail and precise representation with a looser way of painting. The suggestion that the objects are subconscious fantasies of desire is spot on. It is about the sort of property and possession porn that abounds in our society and leads us to equate the acquisition of commodities with personal success indicators such as happiness and fulfilment. The title was taken from some in store signage I saw advertising credit deals and seemed to encapsulate very succinctly the pressure to buy into the fantasy of the dream lifestyle.

5. The floral patterned wallpaper is interesting because you are targeting 2 dimensional objects as well as three dimensional objects to portray in your work. I would like to ask if you think your work will develop into sculpture?

I used to make a lot of sculpture mainly using found objects such as furniture that I altered and reassembled. I don’t currently see myself returning to sculpture in terms of individual pieces, but could envisage making some installation work perhaps reminiscent of an artist like Karen Kilimnik – for example taking the wallpaper out of the picture space and back onto the real wall to create an environment for the paintings to exist upon.