never never never never never never never

I've made about 40 of these envelopes now. I'm hoping to put some sweets and "wisdom" in them and sell them for £1 a go at the Corke gallery alongside my framed works. I'm emailing Nic Corke tomorrow, so I'll see whether he likes the idea and go from there. If he likes it, I'll have to think about how they're displayed and signposted. They've turned out to be very quick, so I'm hoping to make at least 100 for the exhibition, and maybe another 15 or so for the crit next Friday.

Nic has also asked for a personal statement. I wanted to get the gist of my practice across without coming across as too pretentious or obtuse. The theme of the exhibition has turned out to be "Roots," which I initially had reservations about, as it implies a sense of heritage which isn't really relevant to my artwork. On further reflection though, I decided that the idea of a "root," a hidden or buried source from which something more formed can automatically grow, is actually quite applicable. This is my statement for the Corke gallery:

My work is illustrative and relates to the human condition. The work is tongue-in-cheek, melodramatic and has no set definition, although I like to think it’s in some way reflective of my ego or perceived self. The drawings are an arrangement of symbols rather than a narrative. There is minimal agenda in their creation, and they are open to subjective interpretation. Generally the work explores notions like desire, anger and betrayal. The work links to the title of “Roots” in the sense that every emotion, and therefore creative action, has a subconscious “root” or origin in memory. These artworks evince that idea. The idea of “Never” is also central, as it’s something we all have to deal with.