This year I’ve really focused on playing with materials and figuring out how different things react on the surface of the canvas. I’ve mostly used acrylic, charcoal, and gouache, but I’ve also experimented with salt, wax, and even cement. I’m drawn to how these textures behave, how something smooth might sit next to something rough, or how salt can disrupt the paint in unexpected ways. I like not fully knowing how it’ll turn out.

Line has become really important in my work. It’s how I build form, even when the work’s abstract. A lot of my pieces started from life drawing, which gave me a way to think about shape, gesture, and space. I’ve carried that through into my paintings, using line to structure the surface or to break it up. Sometimes it’s a loose, fast mark; other times it’s more deliberate. It helps me find a rhythm.

I had the chance to show my work twice in galleries this year at the Norman Rea Gallery in York, which was a great experience. It made me think more about how work lives in a space and how people move around it. The end of year exhibition is a great way for us to put together a considered environmentally conscious show. There is no travel, no print waste, and it is more accessible too. It feels like something worth exploring again after this has been shown.

Overall, I’ve been trying to let the materials guide me a bit more. I’m not looking for everything to be neat or resolved. Some of the most interesting results have come from when things go wrong, such as when a surface cracks, or something doesn’t stick properly.