study proposal

My multi-media practice explores storytelling; fictional characters and stories appear without deliberation, oscillating between poles of hurt and care, melancholy and joy. Through drawing, painting, installation, writing and lullabies, I create narrative-based works. Themes often grow from small observations of my emotions and experiences but then take you far from the familiar on an unexpected journey.

My ambition at Falmouth, while studying illustration: Authorial Practice, is to master the art of illustrating my own stories and characters. Creating playful narratives for adults and children, I aim for there to be a healing property in my work, exploring complicated feelings in a lighthearted way.

Lewis Carrols Alice in Wonderland, and Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, are just two examples of stories illustrated initially by their authors that have had a profound impact on my work due to their playful nature and plot; the protagonist diving into their imagination to discover realities truths.

Through critically engaging with what it means to tell a simple story; while fluidly moving between art forms such as drawing, installation, writing, singing, and performing, I aim to create a body of work that empathetically portrays the difficult emotions we often neglect as well as the small pockets of joy that can pass us by. My multidisciplinary approach to illustration will allow me to engage with what it means to be an illustrator in the contemporary art world today.