My previous work was focused upon drawing the obese and disfigured female body using willow charcoal, olive oil, baby oil, sunflower oil, moisturiser, lard and chalk on white Fabriano paper. My current practice, to date is now based upon drawing the female portrait using willow charcoal, Indian ink, baby oil and white chalk on brown parcel paper.
My more recent pieces are all approximately 3ft x 6ft.

The use of charcoal is a reoccurring element in my studio practice. When drawing is concerned I greatly favour the soft, smoky quality of charcoal. Keeping the materials simple and basic is an important part of my studio practice.

   
 

Working with the simple blacks, whites and browns created by applying the charcoal and chalk onto paper, allows the use of line and tone to be more dramatic and rich than I feel it would be, accompanied by more vibrant colours. I would definitely consider my use of line in these pieces to expressionistic. All of these pieces are created using a ritualistic method involving the use of my whole body, which is an important experience when working on such a large scale. The paper is rolled out onto a floor and taped down. Baby oil dripped onto the paper from a height and charcoal is crushed under foot and dragged across the surface of the paper. This base mark making enforces the line that is applied on top of it and this provides the initial tone. Having this base layer of rough line and tone is crucial to the visual effect of the finished piece. The paper is then transferred onto a wall using tape and the portrait is working into the streaks of crushed charcoal, using charcoal, chalk, water and Indian Ink.

My current body of studio work is based around portraits of young, contemporary females. With an interest in issues such as obesity, feminine sexuality, the male perception of women, the female relationship with food and the social issues surrounding self image. All of my studying and research has helped me to analyze the way both men and women react to the female form and to understand why these reactions occur. The issue always at the core of my studio practice is how woman are perceived by men and women alike. My work is an attempt to understand my own perception of beauty and to positively influence of the opinions of others.

My contextual research is focused on artists who specifically work with the human figure/portrait, and whom have a large collection of figurative drawing as their main practice or supporting practice. The artists that I have always found to be inspirational are Frank Auerbach, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jim Dine, Alberto Giacommetti, Antony Gormley, Nicola Hicks, Jenny Saville and Egon Schiele. However, more recently I have found myself inspired by the works of John Currin, Wangechi Mutu and Chloe Piene.