About the way he uses bodies in his work

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“I am drawn to the body because it represents a kind of interface between states. A painted body is a code. As you mention, in recent paintings, the human figure is less immediately visible, and instead appears fragmented, often synthesised with everyday forms, like leaves or pipework. On reflection, this happened in reaction to the way a ‘whole’ body has a particular readability, and association with narrative - which doesn’t interest me. ‘Dissecting’ enables a different focus. (…) I think some of the humour comes from the detached way I treat bodies: the figure is presented as a ‘collection’ of surfaces and bits. Quotidian objects stand in for the self. (…) The paintings have an uneasy feeling which comes from rendering the body on both a micro/macro level. Abjection remains a relevant idea in contemporary figurative painting. I increasingly relate to myself in a language of self-improvement. We are bombarded by promises of transformation … told to live our best lives. The self is a technology which is our responsibility to manage through the right products, lifestyles and applications. The screen is a bodily appendage in more ways than one. This inspires the way I render the body. Glossy ideals betrayed by leaky imperfections and corporate control. Sometimes it is disturbing to remember I am flawed, fleshy, mortal matter.” (Worsfold)

About his use of paint and textures

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“To me, it is important these paintings are seen in the flesh. I like the idea that they operate in different ways, in different contexts: on the screen they appear graphic and flat; up close, the surfaces are textured, layered and optical. I want the surfaces to be delicious things … overindulgent somehow. I work mainly with acrylic paint because of its speed, control and artificiality. (…) The paintings imagine what’s underneath things, the essence of things. How can paint lend itself to this enquiry? Containing different speeds, attention-spans, styles, I am interested in the synthetic experience native to painting.” (Worsfold)