Painting people, places, portraits and 'everything that preoccupies my mind': a critical model dissertation examining my recent art practice

Throughout this thesis I will explore my making process, themes, and subject matter, often utilising the insights of artists who have similar practices to mine, i.e., they make work about what preoccupies their minds as an ongoing life practice, such as: Philip Guston, Chantal Joffe, Alice Neel, Marlene Dumas, and others. To keep my own work the focus, and due to limitations of length, I often make reference to their words without discussing their art works in particular. I also draw from philosophy, photographic theory, and art history where relevant to my practice. The title of my dissertation is derived from Chantal Joffe’s remark "My paintings are a mash-up of everything that preoccupies my mind".