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Can you walk us through your creative process and inspiration for this body of work, from the first initial ideas to finished exhibition? 

 

While I was living in New Mexico, I found myself deeply missing the ocean. Being surrounded by desert for a year made that absence very present- I would be sponging a lithographic limestone and daydreaming about cool ocean water. When I returned home, all of that longing poured out through the work, and through the expansiveness I associate with the sea.

 

During my time in the U.S., I was already making prints focused on water patterns, and this body of work became a continuation of that exploration. Interestingly, I didn’t fully realise what the work was about until I was halfway through the largest piece, The Sun Goes to Sleep in the Sea. That was the moment everything clicked.

 

My practice often explores patterns in nature as hints toward larger systems; topography, solar systems, expanses of water, and the repetition of line and form. This exhibition feels like a natural extension of that ongoing investigation.

 

In 2025 you had an amazing printmaking residency in the U.S, can you tell us more about this experience and how it has inspired future artworks?

 

I undertook a residency at the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something I had dreamed of for many years. It’s an intensive ten-month program training artists as collaborative printers. Every day was spent in the workshop: learning new techniques, refining skills, collaborating with artists, and printing constantly. It was immersive, demanding, and incredibly rewarding.

 

Outside the studio, I fell in love with the desert landscape and nearby national parks. There’s something already nostalgic about the dusty pinks of the land against the vast blue sky. I’d love to explore that palette in a future series.

 

The technical skills I gained have greatly influenced my printmaking practice, particularly in what I now feel confident experimenting with and utilising. I’m excited to continue making lithographs using these new techniques, and I’m currently working towards launching my own collaborative lithography workshop,Salt Press, where I’ve been working with artists to create custom editions.

 

What does a typical day look like in your studio?

“Typical” isn’t really a word I can use; my weeks are so varied, and I juggle several jobs, so every day looks different. A full studio day feels like a luxury, and I’m often fitting painting in around work commitments.

 

When I do have a painting day, I like to put on an audiobook and really zone into the work. At the beginning of a new artwork, though, I prefer silence. I spend a long time, sometimes a month or more, imagining the work before I begin: where the first line might sit, how shapes will unfold, and developing a colour palette.

 

I collect visual fragments to support this process: images on my phone, visits to the ocean at different times of day, colour references from found objects, stones, or fleeting moments. Once the idea feels partially resolved in my mind, I begin on the canvas and allow the work to evolve from there.

 

In the print studio, the rhythm is different. I usually start the day with Smooth FM on the radio, then move into the highly process-driven nature of printing; mapping registration, choosing paper and ink colours, preparing films or drawing on a stone. Much of my practice, whether painting or printmaking, is about entering a meditative state through repetition and focus.

 

Over a week, how much time do you have to create your artworks and how do you schedule time to be productive?

 

I’m in the studio whenever I have spare time around other commitments- I am not good at sitting still.

 

Can you give us some insight into your use of material, techniques and processes?

 

The prints in the exhibition are all lithographs. Lithography is based on the principle that oil and water don’t mix. Traditionally, limestone is used as the matrix, with greasy drawing materials used to create the image. The non-image areas are made water-receptive through chemical processing using gum arabic.

 

Once the drawing is etched into the stone surface using acid, the stone can be washed out and the image replaced with ink. The stone is then kept damp so the non-image areas repel ink, allowing the image to be printed multiple times to create an edition.

 

Lithography is a highly technical process, which is why I went to the Tamarind Institute to refine my skills. Ocean Threads was drawn using lithographic crayons I developed as part of a research project during my time there.

 

For my paintings, I work exclusively with oil paint. I’m drawn to its slow drying time, which allows me to return to a work over long periods and gradually build up layers. I always use the smallest brush to do the line work. I am constantly experimenting with ways to make the finest lines possible.

 

In the exhibition The Sun Goes To Sleep In The Sea you have two stunning large scale paintings titled Rockpool and The Sun Goes To Sleep In TheSea- how many hours did each of these artworks take to produce?

 

Honestly I tried timing myself at the beginning, but after about twenty hours, I decided that maybe that wasn’t something I wanted to know.The Sun Goes to Sleep in the Sea took about five months to complete- not painting full-time, but steadily returning to it over that period.

 

How does your approach differ when you’re printmaking versus painting? What role does experimentation play in your studio practice? What drew you to printmaking initially, and what keeps you engaged with it today?

 

In many ways, the approaches are quite similar. Printmaking has trained my brain to think in layers, and that directly feeds into my painting practice. Painting allows for a more fluid setup. I can leave a canvas out and return to it easily, whereas printmaking requires significant preparation and clean-up, so it demands larger, dedicated blocks of time.

 

Experimentation is essential to my practice. I rarely sketch out exactly what a final piece will look like, so the work evolves through testing line, colour, and layering.

 

Printmaking, in particular, offers endless opportunities for experimentation. I often compare it to baking; once you know a recipe well, you can start adjusting quantities, substituting ingredients, and discovering new flavours. That’s what printmaking feels like to me: a continuous process of refinement and exploration.

 

I was initially drawn to the process-based nature of printmaking. I love repetition, rhythm, and methodical work. What keeps me engaged is the balance between control and unpredictability; no matter how experienced you are, the process can always surprise you.

 

What does painting allow you to express that printmaking does not—and vice versa?

 

Painting allows for immediacy and intuition, while printmaking offers precision and structure. Each informs the other, and together they create a balance in my practice.

 

What themes or questions consistently surface in your work?

 

Patterns in nature, interconnected systems, repetition, and expansiveness are recurring themes. I’m interested in how small gestures relate to larger environments, and how line and pattern can suggest scale and movement.

 

What do you hope viewers take away from encountering your work?

 

I hope viewers feel immersed; that they slow down and become lost in the detail. My works are contemplative, inviting pauses at quiet moments where a line crosses another or a colour gently fades in and out.

 

How has your work evolved over time, and what prompted those shifts?

 

My work is constantly evolving, much like patterns in nature themselves. I often react to previous works, allowing them to inform the next. Recently, the compositions have become more complex, with foreground and background beginning to actively respond to one another.

 

What are you currently working on, or excited to explore next?

 

I’m excited to continue developing my visual language, particularly the interplay between complexity, layering, and spatial depth. Working at a larger scale has been especially rewarding, and I’m interested in the way scale creates a more immersive, physical experience for the viewer. Alongside this, I’m looking forward to expanding my printmaking practice and continuing to build Salt Press as a collaborative space.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to emerging printmakers or painters, what would it be?

 

Just keep making things. You learn so much about yourself through sustained practice, and often the biggest breakthroughs and lessons come from the works that don’t go the way you hoped.