There is conflict within all of us between the part striving for rational order and another that is drawn to chaotic passion. The two gods central to Greek culture personified this tension. Symbolic of reason and logical thinking was the sun god Apollo, while Dionysus, the god of wine, represented chaos and emotion. Rigid logic dampens our feelings and excitement. While frenzied passion without any inhibitions can become dangerous. It is somewhere in between these contrasting tendencies where our greatest potential can be actualised.
In this body of work, the Apollonian becomes manifest through methodical etchings of representational figure drawing and geometric patterns. In contrast, the Dionysian is embodied through expressionistic dry point mark-making and random improvisational motifs.
My ambition is to produce visual harmony by synthesising the abstract with the representational, echoing how the balance of our logical and emotional sides can create harmony in our experience of life.
