My love of painting and drawing started as a child and though life’s distractions steered me in other directions, that passion for art in its many forms has always been with me; in my photography and in my other abiding passions – garden design and home design. Having taken up the brush again only recently, I have been working in oils but am currently exploring the use of pastels, a very different medium and one which satisfies my need to draw. I live near Daylesford in country Victoria and my modest piece of paradise provides continuing incentive for my artwork.
I studied art in high school and after a lengthy interval, finally achieved a long-held dream of graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Tasmania, majoring in photography. This led to a long and successful career as a professional photographer which, in turn, has informed my painting on many levels from the importance of light and its influence on mood, to subject-matter, colour, composition, perspective and point of view. Art should be engaging. I believe this and strive to include elements in my work which will resonate with a viewer. My focus until now has been not only the landscape, often including man-made objects such as derelict huts and farm buildings, but also seascapes where waves and movement hold a fascination for me. And as that focus broadens, I am finding interest in varied subjects including still life and botany.
I am greatly inspired by the natural world, but also by the work of other artists which often gives me the confidence to try a different subject matter and approach. I have found enormous satisfaction in the creative process and always pushing to improve on my abilities. In this way and going into the future, I hope to accumulate a body of work that speaks to whom I am and the world I live in. Success, both commercially and in art competitions, would be a validation of my work.