For as long as I can remember I have had a huge fascination with texture and aging objects, particularly simple everyday things with stories that are equally important to me as the object itself. Standing inside a huge old barn when the sun is beaming through all the gaps fills me with great respect for those who, with such perseverance and hard work, created it. The function is first and foremost, but I always find a proud touch of simple décor. These buildings are not pretentious, but honest. To me they are beautiful monuments. Built to shelter, they are such essential constructions, left standing for generations. Then there is that sense of mystery, the darkness and dust, silence and presence. This is what I try very hard to achieve in my work — the sense of something timeless, grounded, peaceful, quiet, and the presence of something absent. I work in layers, adding paint, scraping off, often mixing the colors directly on the canvas. Being extremely tactile, I often paint with my bare hands. I find that I simplify more and more. There is so much clutter and noise surrounding us — by paring down to the bare essentials I can breathe. The spaces in between…where nothing happens are almost more important. It puts the rest into perspective. I am working towards my paintings being a mental pause for the viewer. If I suggest half the story, the rest is up to them. I spend a lot of time meditating. Therefore, approaching the same subject over and over, becomes like a meditative proses. Every time I try to get a little bit closer to the essence, or the soul of the subject.