This painting, SPINE, is not about what to add more, but it is about knowing when to stop: while using rapid brush strokes and mixing the paint directly onto the canvas surface, I tried to cause the layers to move together in unison and at the same time rise barriers.

Forcing the paint around the surface of the canvas to create tension between foreground and background, raw energy is released on canvas as violent and broken brush strokes, which in turn blend with the softer strokes. Painted while listening to the complex compressive metal song Lateralus, by Tool, I juxtapose the two different energies against each other on the surface in order to create depth.

This painting was shortlisted for the 2019 Refresh Art Prize