My figurative paintings and sculptures move between realism and abstraction. I like the challenge this often poses. I’m interested in making visual, aspects of human – and sometimes animal – experience. Preoccupation with the formal concerns of shape, form, colour and texture makes it possible to explore human endeavour in all its vulnerabilties, struggles and triumphs. The rich history and landscape of my rural home, high in the North Pennines is one of the many influences on my approach, as is my early childhood in South Africa. My sculptures are either modelled directly in concrete or made in clay and cast into concrete or iron resin. The physical process of working with concrete – it’s dustiness, various aggregates, water – and its time demands which enforce patience and consideration, are very compelling. Clay feels less harsh, more yielding. Casting is a pain in the neck but ultimately exciting as the cured image beneath the mould finally emerges. Paper is my medium for the paintings and drawings and sometimes a starting point for the sculptures; its fragility and robustness is often intrinsic to initial explorations of the subject matter. Approaching the painting process as a sculptor (my initial training), the dual processes of painting directly onto the base and occasionally attaching additional painted elements to this surface, resonate directly with both the qualities of the medium and the subject.