I am a self-taught figurative expressionist who rediscovered my passion for drawing and painting at 37, two decades after my last formal art class. Through my art, I reveal and disarm human issues. I intertwine memento mori and spiritual themes with influences from the 1980s and 1990s pop culture I grew up in.

Since struggling with crippling shyness as a child and young adult, I have been an avid non-fiction reader and attended numerous courses to help me feel better. Once I got to a certain stage in my life as a happy introvert, I embarked on an esoteric journey, taking me to the philosophy of memento mori. I listen to spiritual podcasts and interviews frequently, when I paint, when I walk and sometimes when I sleep. Experiencing chronic illness has pushed me close to death and expressing this through my art has been the only way to make sense of it. Nostalgia is also a driving force when I create art, listening to music from my ’80s and ’90s childhood gives me great gusto to paint.

My primary media are oils or acrylic on large canvases. I paint freely, often starting with a reference photo and a rough concept, allowing it to unfold as I work.

Jean Dubuffet, David Shrigley and Keith Haring are my three primary artistic influences. Dubuffet teaches me to play by my own rules, reassuring me that it’s never too late to become a successful, professional artist in my own right. Shrigley endows me with humour, authenticity and the confidence to stick to my own style. Haring ignites my love for street art, large murals and making art accessible.