My work was once described as like “jazz” by a lecturer at university ... a seemingly unconnected, random series of images when viewed singly but, when viewed as a whole, create a holistic body of work that inexplicably are recognisable as my work

I create what inspires and moves me in a way that best expresses the soul of my subject.. the essence

Whether it be in ink on paper in my tiny paintings (reminiscent of the photo slides my mother used when I was a child) or acrylic or oil paint on canvas, creating an indoor window to the outside world; the landscape is always at the heart of my work

Growing up on a farm, on the side of a hill, the views extended for miles; the constant changing of light and colour below ever-changing clouds in the sky

The horizon line: sky above, earth below

Whether it be a realistic representation of a landscape and skies or a conceptual painting distorted to abstraction, the earth and sky are always present in my work

I want people to be moved by my work, to become part of it

I hope my work speaks to people

For the viewer to have a conversation with it

To be reminded of a place, a memory, or even a feeling

I don’t like to explain my work

I don’t like to tell the viewers what they are looking at

I don’t want to tell you what you are seeing

Thinking

Feeling

I want to let you “see” and “feel”

Our brains store trillions of images

Everywhere you’ve been

Everything you’ve ever seen

And when we see something new our brains call upon all these stored memories and try to make sense of what it is in front of us based on our prior knowledge and experience

This is where the conversation starts and where you make connections so that the image in front of you starts to make sense

To become personal to you and mean something ... to become yours

As an artist I am constantly exploring the boundaries of what makes a landscape painting a landscape painting

As I work a painting starts to become: to develop into something, an image is revealed

Sometimes this happens as I make my first marks and I know it’s time to stop

Sometimes it can take months; layers upon layers; it just doesn’t seem to get there

And sometimes it appears as I clean my brushes on an empty canvas....

My painting’s are finished when I stop working on them

Art is subjective

Personal

The conversation starts here