Studio

Ink remains the centre of my current practice for its clarity and discipline. It reveals every decision and forces a deliberate, patient pace — a process that aligns with the kind of quiet tension I admire in literature as well, especially in writers like Haruki Murakami. His sense of atmosphere — the feeling that something rests just beneath the surface — resonates with the way I try to construct images: reduced, attentive, and open to subtle psychological presence.

Influences

My visual sensibility is shaped by classical European painting, particularly the atmospheric and psychological depth found in artists such as Arnold Böcklin and Gustav Klimt. Even when working in monochrome, questions of surface, depth, and compositional gravity continue to inform my approach. Alongside ink, I work with acrylic and oil to explore material density and physical presence.

Process

Extended time spent in Japan has subtly influenced my way of seeing. Encounters with Japanese art and museum collections introduced me to visual principles found in Nihonga and Sumi-e — not as traditions I seek to emulate, but as points of quiet resonance. The emphasis on reduction, controlled gesture, and attentiveness to negative space aligns naturally with my own inclination toward stillness and concentration.

Focus

Animals serve as calm, unguarded forms of presence. Removed from narrative, they function as sites of structure, restraint, and psychological tension. Working predominantly in small formats intensifies this focus: every edge, tonal shift, and pause becomes essential. I aim to create images that are precise, quiet, and slightly uncanny — familiar forms held in sustained attention.