At the start of the summer (2023) I came to the realisation that I hadn’t spent more than two weeks of my life outside of greater Manchester. Within two weeks I had quit my job and headed to Italy to teacher in summer schools. Spent the next 3 months bouncing between Italy, Spain and France.
Felt so good to get out of my comfort zone, do some exploring and meet new people. Getting out of the studio and onto the road really influenced my practice. Acrylic painting has been my go to for many years but being on the move all the time pencils, watercolours and a sketchbook became my weapons of choice. It felt liberating to simplify my style and give more space to exploration. Returning home I was having some great conversations with my friend Elliott Davenport about a similar experience he’d had with his photography practice. We decided to put an exhibition together that will show that you don’t need access to an art studio or the most expensive camera, some really great work comes out work of being open minded to what new experiences and humble materials can inspire!