Abstraction allows me, as an artist, to interpret the world around me and place myself within the work. Using oil paint, I explore expressive, gestural mark making with references to the natural landscape. My paintings are influenced by daily walks I take; I use the imagery from my memories to imbue the work with layers of nostalgic feeling and whispers of nature. By breaking down and abstracting these references to the natural landscape, the brushwork comes to the forefront of the painting. The juxtaposition and layering of advancing and receding positive and negative expressive brushwork form an abstracted landscape: a sense of place, a moment in time. By building up these multiple layers, the work transforms into a mosaic record of my life: feelings, memories, emotions.