Violence takes many different forms, from domestic to ethnic to indiscriminate. I believe that this is common everywhere, especially in run-down areas. Body language and facial expressions are what I am concentrating on in my current work, because these are the most easily recognised features of people who have been touched by violence in one way or another. I thought that I had left my own violent past of growing up in North Belfast during the Eighties behind, but I am still haunted by the faces. The colours I use are generally primary and secondary colours, colours that children use. Most of my more violent experiences happened when I was young and I feel that these are two things that do not belong together.

There are many people that have lived a violent life, whether they wanted to or not, and what I am trying to do is visualise in a figurative way the emotions of violence.