Endurance and resilience in the face of the precarity of life, both emotionally and physically, are always in the forefront of my mind, guiding my practice. My work is autobiographical and centres around women often with an element of performance - settings where the human condition is examined metaphorically. The self-portrait is a place to play and is the most revelatory, both revealing and concealing, veiling and unveiling. Seeking to unspool thoughts and emotions, but also insinuate narratives that allow multiple interpretations to the viewer. The human body and its limbs are a key vehicle of expression. Distortion such as that seen in mirrors and reflections explore fragility and vulnerability, by stretching and expanding the body.There is often a tension between figuration and abstraction, representation and materiality. Materiality conveys meaning and intensity. Building the composition and creating an infrastructure of underpainting is essential to the experience of the work, despite being unseen. This is followed by meticulous and detailed rendering of my subjects, which is distorted through the addition of multiple glazes that disrupt the final image. A poetic stance is present; sparks of fantasy underlying emotional tensions, uncovering potential in aesthetic situations of adversity. The most recent work evokes a haunting sense of exposure; a voyeuristic exploration of the self. Behind the playfulness and intimations of narcissism lies an undercurrent of something darker at work, something a little disturbing and unsettling, remote yet intimate and sensuous.