My practice bridges ecological research and material experimentation.

Over the last year my work has emerged from sustained engagement with marine environments,

Through The Fishery Exchange Project—a year-long collaboration with oyster

farmers and marine biologists from Queen’s University Belfast at Carlingford Lough my recent paintings have responded to the lough’s underwater ecosystems, translating what

I’ve observed into material exploration. An important aspect of this research has been

experimenting with more environmentally sensitive materials. Alongside traditional oil and

acrylic painting, I’ve been working with encaustic (beeswax and pigment) and site-specific

materials, including crushed stone from the lough itself bound with walnut oil.

The encaustic process has become particularly meaningful—building translucent

layers of beeswax mirrors how light filters through water, creating shifting depths that reflect

the hidden, vulnerable nature of these environments. Using materials drawn directly from the

landscape feels essential to representing it authentically, whilst the stratified surfaces

suggest both underwater topography and accumulated environmental change.

Through this practice, I’m exploring how painting can address urgent ecological

concerns whilst investigating alternatives to conventional art materials. My work functions as

both aesthetic investigation and meditation on our relationship with threatened marine

ecosystems.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​