Gallery

I work mostly in acrylics on canvas or board. I usually start with a black background, and initially build my subject in pastel chalks. This helps me keep track of the many tiny facets of colour. When happy with that, I mask off the areas which need to stay black, then I paint layers of colour, adjusting tone and hue as needed. When I am happy with the work I remove the masking. That is when the magic really happens and the facets of colour are revealed with their encapsulating black.

Interpreting the landscape in contours and organic shapes of colour, I look for interesting lines and patterns and subtle shifts in shade and hue. I translate the landscape into a mosaic tapestry with a stained-glass flavour.

I find inspiration outdoors, in the garden, when touring and on walks through the bush. My present body of work is based on the theme of “Looking Up”. I appreciate the magnificence of the Australian gum tree. We have so many beautiful specimens around the mountains. Their variegated trunks, gnarled branches and spreading canopies are truly amazing, and when standing directly at the base and looking up you can see the canopy and the way the branches grow out to the sun, creating shapes, lines and contours in natural, random patterns. Other subjects I have painted recently include birds and waterfalls.

Natural lines and patterns are the focus of my other painting project which I call “Fantastic Flowers”. These small works come intuitively from my imagination, providing an escape from the meticulous and detailed works of the landscapes. Here I explore with mixed media, inks and fluid acrylics. The magical way they bloom and spread on the surface, suggests the subject matter, which emerges from the shapes and colours created and is painted as negative space.

Colour has always held great interest for me and I am inspired by artists such as Pollock, Picasso, Klee, Kandinsky, Klimt, as well as many contemporary abstract artists worldwide.

My artistic journey is ever evolving and I find the need to explore and try out new techniques and subjects. My abstract body of work is what I call

“The convergence of line, plane and imagination; the intuitive interpretation of ideas and inspiration through colour.”

I describe the works as spontaneous, extemporaneous and improvised. Some are inspired by landscapes whilst travelling, and some by classical music, both of which are important to me.

I love to see the interplay of colours and the behaviour of the media which I push around the substrate. There is always a surprise to be had,  and the satisfaction of creating something new and unique inspires me further.