How would you describe your artistic style in a few words?

My starting point is to create an atmosphere, or perhaps more accurately, a sensory experience. I try to keep the painting open, so that I do not impose a particular interpretation on the viewer. At the same time, I am very conscious of creating a sense of dynamism within the image – of keeping it alive and in motion.

For me, a work is not only about the subject matter, but just as much about colour, brushstrokes, temperament and the energy that lies in the hand as I paint. It is the interplay between these elements that gives the work its life.

Are there any artists, movements, or styles that have had a significant influence on your work?

My education as an architect, and particularly my studies of Italian architects, is a major source of inspiration for me. I admire the way they work with compositions and collages, and that approach has had a great influence on the way I look at an image myself.

As a child, my parents often took my siblings and me around Europe to experience art. Monet made a particularly strong impression on me, not least because we had the opportunity to visit his home and garden in Giverny. It was an incredible experience that I still think back on.

Can you explain any unique techniques or approaches you use in your art?

The construction of my paintings takes its material starting point in acrylic and is finished with a refinement in ink. It is a process in which the work gradually takes shape through different layers and materials.

Have there been any significant milestones or experiences that have shaped your artistic journey?

My childhood in Tanzania has certainly had a profound influence on me as an artist – the colours, the landscape and the sounds.

Later, I had a very special teacher who encouraged me to paint things and then describe them in writing as a way of dealing with my dyslexia. My starting point for writing therefore became to first draw or paint something. In many ways, that is why it is my primary language.

Who do you create art for, and what do you hope viewers take away from your work?

My paintings do not necessarily have a deeper symbolic meaning. I work with symbolic elements, such as nature or particular colours that may carry symbolic associations, but my primary focus is on creating atmospheres and emotions in the viewer.

Ultimately, however, it is entirely open to interpretation what one takes away from a piece of art. A viewer may bring something to one of my paintings that I had not intended or considered beforehand – and I think that is wonderful. To me, art should very much be a starting point for conversation.