Biography

The world today seems so cluttered to me. Everything is full of labels and restrictions. Even modern art, from my perspective, is often acting the way it is told to act, trapped inside a box of social and cultural expectation. My art is mostly felt and rarely thought. There is no formal education creating perceived parameters lurking behind the subject. My subjects are experienced and expressed through paint, simple, unadulterated and emotional.

Is it in my heart? Then I paint it. Does it intrigue me? I paint it. Is it driving me crazy? I paint it. Occasionally something on the world stage hits me so hard in the stomach that it demands my attention. But so, then, do forests filled with filtered rays of sun, or the insect eating my garden. If the topic can grab the hand of my emotions and run crazily down a hill with them like carefree children, stumbling, shrieking, giggling, then that’s my subject!

The style, with my pieces, must suit the feeling that’s coming through me. On those days when I’m in the mood to dissect the endless facets of life, with all its whys and wherefores, then I fall into intricacies, with intensely detailed lines and infinite patience. However, when my wild side is at hand, brash, untethered and joyful, the paint flies and the colours shimmer, and everyone is advised to stand clear.

Oil or acrylic on a heavy gauge canvas allows me to dive headfirst into the texture of the process. Painting becomes a visceral experience; the colours are so strong and vibrant that you just want to eat them. It’s like dining at a banquet.

As an artist the hardest and most unnatural thing for me is to repress myself and not paint! The paint boils through my veins and there is a constant call. I find myself addicted to all the turmoil, the passion. As the journey draws to a close, punctuated with exhilaration and relief, only then can it be fully appreciated for all its glory!