What kind of artist did you dream of becoming when you started your visual arts career?

 

When I was younger I actually wanted to be a teacher, then a shopkeeper. So, when I started my degree, I remember sitting there at orientation and thinking, I want their job, I want to teach art. I also thought I would be a painter, now I think I know better [laughs].

 

 

 

Do you still feel that way?

​

Absolutely, I am still working my way towards becoming a lecturer in the arts. It makes me feel challenged and I like that. Until then though, I will keep working as a practicing artist and attempt to hold regular shows at least.

​

​

​

 

How did you become a Surrealist artist, was it a conscious decision?

​

I feel that my practice has slowly gravitated to a place that lies between abstract expressionism and surrealism. In the beginning I focused heavily on realism, and I was obsessed with perfecting all the fine details. But, of course from that first text-based body of work, my practice started to move more to expressing the internal, which I think felt more natural for me.

 

 

​

 

Where does the text in your art come from, is it always poetry?

​

The text in my works varies from piece to piece. I include a lot of self-written poetry and poetic texts and sometimes it’s my thoughts from stream of consciousness.

 

 

​

 

Why include poetry, is it important?

​

Yes, poetry is very important to me. It’s a form of self-expression that I have used for quite a long time. To use it is to be very personal and honest about my experiences but it’s also indirect in a way like a code. I feel that adds to the symbolism and history of silencing personal opinion in society, especially as a young woman.

 

 

​

 

What was your motivation to create when you first started, has it changed?

​

When I first started, my desire to perfect realism and true body proportions motivated me. I wanted to be an illustrator. Now though, I’m more motivated towards learning more about myself as an artist and developing my practice to find what really drives me. I feel like motivations will always change but my passion for being a creator and artist hasn’t changed at all.

​

​

​

 

What is an artistic outlook on life?

​

I think if anything, it’s close to the wonderment of a child because they're often seeing things for the first time or with fresh eyes. They have an ability to see things differently and they have such active imaginations. I think if we can all harness a bit of that wonderment and naivety, we could all have an artistic outlook.

​

​

​

 

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

​

That’s quite tough for me to answer because I remember a lot of things. I think the most memorable response was to my first text-based body of work Between the Lines. It was the first time I had used my poetry in my art and so it was quite confronting for me to be so vulnerable with an audience. The response was very positive though and I was quite taken aback by people’s responses because they were able to relate to expressions so deeply and that surprised me.

 

 

 

​

Have you had any adverse reactions to your work and how was that for you?

​

Not so terribly adverse, no. I have had a few people talk to me about not understanding abstract works though. One person I spoke to said if I don’t understand a piece just by looking at it, I don’t see it as art. It doesn’t make sense that I should have to read the didactic to understand what’s going on. I had to take moment to think about this before I responded. I told them that art is more than just straight forward realism, abstract art often comes from a more expressive place inside the artist and the didactic is there to help you understand the work, not simply put there to look pretty.

 

 

 

​

 

Is it challenging to be a professional artist right now?

​

Yes, I think it is challenging because the number of creatives in the field is steadily growing so there’s a lot of competition. Also, gallery spaces aren’t cheap but that’s what I love about it. There are so many artists that I can get together with and collaborate and we can hold wonderful exhibitions for the public. That kind of kinship and networking is valuable too. I think the whole idea of community in art really appeals to me, together we are more and can say more.

 

 

 

​

What do you want your viewers to take away from your works?

​

Again, I feel like that depends of the body of work. Sometimes I want to make people see themselves and others in a different light. Other times I want my viewers to think about things that are greater than themselves. I also like to see my viewers relate to my art, because when we relate to something, it makes us feel like we’re not alone. I feel that what I look for and what I want is to see connection.

​

​

​

​

​