I make narrative oil paintings in a magical-realistic style. In my work, literary references and autobiographical elements intertwine. Inspiration comes from novels, children’s stories, myths and personal experiences. Key to my work is an obsession with shadows. I use scale models to create effects of light. Modelmaking is becoming an increasingly important part of my artistic practice. Transcending its role in lighting design, the scale model has become my painting subject. This artificial world, peopled with wax figures in cardboard surroundings, is imbued with a feeling of isolation and a sense of the uncanny. This is the atmosphere I seek for my paintings. My artistic practice thus involves a lot of preliminary work. It’s a fascinating process of translation: from text to image; reality to replica; 3D model to 2D sketch; and from pencil drawing to oil painting.