verona stellet
verona stellet

I suppose I am a bit of a collector. A lot of my latest work is composed of discarded and found
material and objects, which I find on daily walks in my immediate surroundings. There is the
local bog, where people illegally dump all sorts of items, from baby dolls to fridges to stolen
and torched cars.

Sorting through material now and again I come across items that spark an idea or fit into a
current line of work. Abandoned houses offer interesting bits and pieces too, these can be items
simply forgotten or left behind. Deemed unworthy by their owners they can evoke powerful
memories when incorporated into a new work.

The beaches along the Irish coast are my favourite locations. I can wander for hours collecting
driftwood and other flotsam. Rusted metal can take on a special quality when exposed to sea
water and air. Sometimes a piece undergoes a lengthy scrutiny before it gets carried along for
miles, only to be discarded at the end - a discarding which is sometimes later regretted!

Apart from actual materials I collect images, for instance weathered, coloured painted surfaces
from doors and walls in my village, the mood of a misty morning or the structure of a dewy cobweb.
These often go to creating or enhancing an atmosphere for a work