Through a small person's lens

I find it very difficult to work on flat surfaces, it's always been a natural progression to 'fill out' or merge 3 dimensional with flat. I find it perplexing to just do flat; hence I build around or onto my canvas, maybe suspend objects or in the case of working onto a violin piece I will remove sections and make compartments. The violins have been very inspiring for me because they become nest like or voyueristic in nature (peeping through a keyhole feel). The space revealed can be whatever one wants it to be. To me it's a special place or feeling brought to life by little sculptures.

Shoes forever

Shoes seem to feature on an ongoing basis within my work. The first time I exhibited shoes was in 1996 in my graduate show. I can't stop making shoes, its a tick I can't control or just shear compulsion. One thing I can say is I'm not ready to own up to my addiction. I can think of too many smells, tastes, colours, events, mistakes made and risks taken when wearing a certain pair of shoes. "Evening sun on a mustard door" is a very time, place for me, at an age when I began to notice how wonderful light is. It rises bouncing bold as brass through one window, and sets forming shapes and hues through another window, which was completely ignored all day long. I have always been inquisitive about this and it drives the way I use textures, colour, objects etc. within my art.

Moon magic

I like to make work which will alter throughout the course of the day. The shadows formed in the evening light are just as important to me as daylight. Take for example Luna love in blue. It is a piece which is very still in composition, subtle in colour, simple imagery, yet the moon and dancing butterfly sculptures throw shapes and shadows as the day evolves. This piece in particular is soothing but can be dramatic in an evening light.

Birds and Birdhouses

Birds and Birdhouses feature in several art pieces within my work. There are something quite enigmatic about them, and vary rarely have I seen a bird go into one. It's almost as if they are astute to all humans, esecially curious wee people. I have always wanted a birdhouse as a child, one that would accommodate me. Even now as an adult it holds the same appeal. The birdhouse is a cocoon and conjures up the 'comfort blanket feeling'. The same feeling you get when its blowing a gale and rain thumps off the window pain (it is Ireland), that you are ok, because you are inside and sheltered, and although you are not really thinking about anything too much, you appreciate having a home, and the comfort it can bring. I try within my birdhouse artpieces to use the shoe sculptures and keys to create the sense of home or belonging. Loveshack has one birdhouse perched on a branch, its title alone suggests more than one bird, however Loveshack could just be the place to go to when you just want to escape from the world. The place to be to find peace, and if heaven had a birdhouse feeling.