Between Worlds

Working in the In-Between

For me, retreating into a created world is a luxury, one to be explored down a rabbit warren of investigation. The Between Worlds series draws from a kaleidoscope of influences, blending the real and the imagined to create uncanny realms that explore perception, mortality, and the spaces that exist between states of being.

Objects as Quiet Witnesses of Time

Several works are rooted in everyday objects accumulated in my studio. These items quietly mark the passage of time, bearing evidence of use and presence. In the paintings, they become more than still-life elements; they act as records of lived experience, marking time while allowing the ordinary to merge into something more speculative.

Minds, Genius, and Inner Worlds

From these tangible, time-marked objects, the series moves inward, exploring imagined mental landscapes inspired by historic ideas of genius and brilliance. Recognisable symbols and borrowed visual references appear throughout, not as direct portraits but as fragments of thought embedded within the painting itself. Logic blurs with dreamlike imagery, suggesting that creativity exists where order and chaos meet. Rather than depicting genius literally, I’m interested in how thought, imagination, and emotion can be visualised as layered, shifting environments—places where ideas drift, collide, and reform.

Ritual, Theatre, and the Circus of Life

From interior landscapes of thought, the series also steps outward into shared, performative experiences. Ritual and performance play a central role throughout Between Worlds. In several works, the theatricality of the circus becomes a lens through which life, death, and existence are explored. This imagery carries personal resonance for me, growing up in the North East of England, where the world’s largest travelling funfair, the Hoppings, arrives each year as a temporary spectacle that transforms the mundane.

These paintings reinterpret the “circle of life” through costume, movement, and spectacle, allowing humour, play, and darker undertones to coexist. By borrowing from ritual and performance, the images sit somewhere between observation and reflection, where the familiar becomes heightened and strange.

Celestial Forces and Painted Traditions

Building on these explorations, the series reaches toward larger cosmic and mythic forces. The sun and moon appear as expressive presences, inspired by miniature Indian paintings. Drawing on the drama and symbolism of celestial bodies, the sun blazes with conflict and fury, while the moon presides over moments of magic, dance, and transformation, anchoring human action within larger cosmic cycles.

Small Worlds and Daily Purpose

Alongside mythic and theatrical scenes, quieter worlds emerge. In one painting, the rhythm of the morning commute is reimagined through the tiny, purposeful movements of insects. By shifting scale, ordinary routines are transformed into something playful and meditative, revealing how instinct, repetition, and purpose connect all living beings.

Beneath the Surface

Another work descends into submerged, hidden environments. Inspired by underwater worlds, it explores what exists beyond visibility, where pollution, mutation, and curiosity give rise to strange new forms of life. Rather than offering a clear narrative, the painting hovers between warning and wonder, suggesting futures that are unsettling yet alive.

Layering Time, Image, and Imagination

Each image emerges slowly, reflecting how images evolve between observation and imagination—never fully resolved, always in flux. My process relies on extensive searching for imagery and constructing images thoughtfully over time. Ink establishes movement and structure, while watercolour introduces atmosphere, emotion, and rhythm, allowing images to shift and settle organically.

An Invitation to Linger

Across the series, multiple visual languages coexist: still-life fragments, symbolic figures, imagined creatures, and theatrical scenes share the same pictorial space. These overlaps reflect my interest in how personal, mythic, historical, and imagined worlds continually bleed into one another. Between Worlds invites viewers to slow down and linger, entering a space where boundaries soften, meanings shift, and the ordinary becomes something unexpected. You can explore the full series Between Worlds here and begin your own voyage of discovery.