The essence of my work is to capture the transient nature of the face, to understand the sense of a person through images; the subtle, unspoken qualities unique to each individual. I reveal my subjects in fragments, a metamorphosis, as remnants of the face emerge from the canvas. This process is a visual form of stream of consciousness. The fragmentation reveals traces that flow across the canvas, revealing the whole although much of the image is absent. I want to perceive what is essential, to see how much of the face it is necessary to reveal whilst retaining a sense of my subject.

On both technical and conceptual levels I experiment with how I can push the boundaries of traditional oil painting whilst remaining true to its craftmanship. I embrace the traditions of portraiture whilst challenging people's perception of what it means to paint today, thus exploring the nature of representation in the wider context of contemporary portraiture.

As a female artist, I am fascinated with revealing the hidden, reticent qualities in women. This perception develops through studying the face, exploring how it is possible to know someone through their face. I explore my views and reflections on the female mind, identity and emotions. I am fascinated with Virginia Woolf as a woman, her life and her voice through her writing. I feel that I am intensifying my knowledge and understanding of my subject, the recurring interaction being a conversation between us. Through my research and repetitive painting of Virginia I have a sense of the imprint of her life on the world that to me is perceiveable through her face. I am trying to capture something of that resonance. Through painting I am creating a reality which has a truth of its own through my perception of the person.