Artist Statement

Sam Pattman is both a painter and sculptor and often conceptually intertwines the two; creations in sculpture help facilitate the two dimensional process and vice versa.

She has always held a fascination for the mysticism of previous classical civilisations, for the peeling plaster of antiquity, primitive sculpture and the ancient discoveries of archaeological sites. The Turin shroud to her is enchanting in its depiction of a previous existence and its transient imagery influential within her work.

Visually she is captivated by the rugged elements of texture and the way in which rudimentary marks can portray a narrative; where the imagination can describe that not visible. Paint surfaces derived from the influences of rock formations, multi layered hues of oxidised minerals and textures bearing witness to time lines of geological processes.

Through traces and impressions of ghostly figures she aims to suggest a portrayal of what might have gone before. She strives to convey introspective and melancholic nebulous spirituality, equivalent with mortality and loss; traces of existence.

Her process of painting often involves the application of multiple layers of paint, either by brush or roller to create a semi-obscured ethereal surface, to facilitate curiosity of the unseen. She frequently removes areas of paint to expose the underlying textures, in a process synonymous with that of an archaeological dig.

Within her recent body of sculptural work, by use of three dimensional textured elements she seeks to further express her theme of loss and the fragility of existence.