When I was a kid, I’d sit and listen to Dolly Parton and Glen Campbell on my hot pink CD player. I wanted to be a cowboy, to ride horses and wear cowboy boots, kicking about next to cactuses and coyotes. I actually grew up in London. The urban comforts, too far intertwined in me.

ALL I EVER WANTED WAS TO BE A COWBOY is a series of acrylic paintings on canvas. Through this collection, I've tried to explore the alternate universe I’d created in my head, what I thought it meant to be a Cowboy, a countryman, irrespective of what it really looked like and how trivial and potentially ironic it is that I glamourised a lifestyle that would humble me greatly.

All seven pieces are a folly look into this romanticised lifestyle I, at the mature and knowledgeable age of about thirteen, thought I was meant to be living. I’ve tried to be playful with the theme, as I know I am not cut out for cactuses and coyotes. I’m fond of rugged, I love being outside and I care deeply about animals but I hate wearing hats. My head gets too hot. I’ve ridden a horse maybe twice as a small child for about ten minutes and I’m certain that the nomadic tendencies of a countryman would trigger my fight or flight. Still I believe that in another life I was barefoot on a Pinto, picking wildflowers in my red Tecovas after a hard day's work out in the (real) world.

The addition of text in my work has always happened naturally. Partly to fill the void of context if I fear I may be misunderstood. In this series, it adds to my storytelling and I love the ‘poster’ visual text can playfully imply.

This is my debut exhibition and I feel lucky that friends at Rodeo Food + Bev were happy to have me, ironically the only Rodeo I’ve ever been to. A perfect fit for this body of work. I hope people see the humour in this collection, after all Rodeo says they’re ‘For the Free Thinkers & Good Eaters’ of which I am both. This series in particular has my tongue in cheek verve and all my ability to paint.