Inside the Artefact Collection
They say art is autobiographical, and looking back, the Artefact Collection is no exception.
The idea had been lodged in my head since I started painting back in 2023 — though honestly, it looked very different in my imagination. Back then, it was abstracted gold Egyptian hieroglyphs, distressed under layers of black and taupe. For some reason, it stayed on the back burner, patiently waiting while other ideas grabbed my attention.
The name “Artefact” came to me as a nod to that ancient-Egypt vibe, but also, let’s be honest, because it’s art — and a little play on words always amuses me.
Back then, I couldn’t stop painting. Every spare moment outside work was spent experimenting, layering, scraping, pouring. It felt like uncovering a skill I’d always had, suddenly lighting my soul on fire.
But really, I hadn’t just discovered I could paint. Art had always been my thing. School art classes were my favourite; I drew, painted, sculpted, even dabbled in pottery and creative writing. Then, life got in the way. GCSEs, A-Levels, career “practicalities” — art became a hobby at best.
Fast-forward twenty years (maybe a bit more if I’m honest) and art found me again — probably when I needed it most. I’d carved out a career as a senior HR professional — still a part of my life today — but the creative spark buried under everyday responsibilities quietly resurfaced.
Pharos & Tefari: The Beginning of the Collection
Come August 2024, it was finally time for Artefact to step into the light. It started with Pharos and Tefari. True to my usual way, they were intuitive layers — part poured, part scraped — pulsing with energy. Golden veins threaded through the drama, hinting at movement and life beneath the surface.
‘Tefari’ | mixed media on canvas | 50x76cm
Travels & Transformation
A holiday to Sorrento, visiting Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, shaped the rest of the collection more than I realised at the time. The focus shifted from abstract energy to the beauty of what’s ruined, weathered, almost lost to time.
The Remnants
Then came Relic, the piece I nearly ruined. After a little drama, it found its rhythm: intentional, structured, arid. It became, subconsciously at first, one of the first aerial landscapes of the collection — a monument to time’s passage, grounding yet inspiring.
‘Relic’ | mixed media on canvas | 100x100cm
Mirage followed — brighter, yet still dark and mysterious, capturing the interplay between clarity and blur. It’s about life happening all at once: sharpening your focus on what matters, softening what doesn’t.
‘Mirage’ | mixed media on canvas | 70x70cm
Omen and Vestal, night and day, small but mighty. Vestal holds your secrets as sacred, while Omen… well, it almost judges you for keeping them.
’Omen’ (top) & ’Vestal’ (bottom) | mixed media on canvas | 40x40cm
Vestige & Token: miniature fragments of a former you — weathered, eroded, yet still showing the gold that remains inside.
‘Token’ (top) & ‘Vestige’ (bottom) | mixed media on canvas | 40x40cm
“Pieces to get lost in, to daydream with, to explore. Guaranteed you’ll see something different every time you look at them.”
All pieces have a heavy crushed marble base: solid, unshakeable, yet deliberately cracked. Acrylic inks, impasto, and aerosol mimic erosion over time. Volcanic sand (maybe actually from a volcano, maybe not — I can neither confirm nor deny) hides fragments of 23-carat gold, nodding to the buried parts of ourselves we sometimes forget, but that remain.
Artefact Papers: Emotional Cartography
The Artefact Papers are a different kind of texture: taupe, black, gold, and vivid white layered to create abstractions, veils, sometimes landscapes — pyramids here and there. They tie the old and the new together, like a map through the canvases, but also a map back to yourself.
‘Terrain’ | acrylic on paper | A2
Artefacts of Yourself
I realised these pieces aren’t just Artefacts in name — they’re artefacts of my own creative instincts. The collection stayed dormant until I was ready to see it for what it was: a fundamental chapter in my journey back to myself.
“Those skills, talents, memories, dreams and desires are all still there within you, quietly waiting to be rediscovered.”
Artefact offers daily reminders to tap into joy, reclaim purpose, and reconnect with yourself. Each piece is a visual anchor, an emotional touchstone — ready for you to step into it.