This work encourages an instinctual reading of the figures depicted, through the use of transparent layers, varied paint consistency and careful selection of brushes. The pieces sit somewhere between drawing and painting. Drawing seems a better description: more direct, with the potential to bring poetry to simple actions. Glazes allow the subject to emerge into the light or slip into the haze, revealing glimpses that can be traced back further into the depths of the image.

The mark-making holds the same expressive vocabulary as Jamie’s sculpture: a stuttering fragmented gesture aligned with the mixed fortunes of a broken branch; a flowing lyrical line holding tension like a carved surface. In some senses these are working drawings, a place to explore the interactions of figures and to develop a language of concealment and revealing before launching into sculptural work.