STATEMENT

I like to re-evaluate my work afresh every time I enter the studio. Working atmosphere and continuity are important to me. I surround myself with a large collection of resources and research on Human Anatomy and Natural forms, for example bones, stones, flints, driftwood and other detritus. These resources become my framework or starting points. Rich visual supplies of personal imagery together with complex layers of memory and life experience are vital to the development of my work. As a child the structures of natural forms and the human body in Biology, Human Biology and Science always held a fascination for me. Beachcombing, walking, and collecting strange and interesting objects have always been a natural part of my everyday life.

I aim to make a visceral response to the world as I see it and experience it. I work in an intuitive and direct way with paint enjoying the way ideas evolve and cross fertilise as the work progresses. The initial images are constantly reworked. I work on several paintings simultaneously allowing images and ideas to ricochet from one painting to the other. Textured surfaces are built up as one image is submerged by another. Experiment, accident and a purposefully chaotic environment are integral to the way I work. I try to remain open to the unexpected as I work towards the final image.

I aim to make a strong image which takes on a force and presence of its’ own in a search for a visual truth.

Tina Hagley