Artist's Statement

I have just finished a degree in Fine Art at Cambridge School of Art and have combined my continuing work with homeless people with my artwork. I volunteer at Jimmy's Cambridge a charity that provides accommodation and support to homeless people. All proceeds from my artwork go to Jimmy's. Recently I painted doorways where homeless people might shelter, stop to beg or spend the night. Homeless people tend to be reluctant to be depicted so I used their belongings and traces of their presence to indicate their occupancy. Gradually I removed these elements and painted doorways of empty premises or of shops that betray traces of past lives. These became emblematic of the transience of modern businesses, either because they moved on or because the business failed. This expanded my concern for the transience of homeless individuals to the uncertainty experienced by the whole community in times of change and economic challenge.