Landscapes.
My work is, for the most part, studio based. Here I focus on landscapes, of which three strands are currently at the forefront of my approach.
Firstly I am interested in landscape as a context for visual metaphor, usually relating to human interaction. For example I often find myself drawn to vistas of trees, bushes or plants which recede separately into the distance, each marooned in its own space. I hope the paintings which derive from this convey a sense of the unknowability of other people.
More broadly, but relating to this, I find that landscape can be a very effective repository for particular feelings or emotions and am drawn to scenes which correlate to these internal pulses.
I am also drawn to the genre as a way of exploring a sense of the animal histories (mainly human) that have shaped and scarred them. I use a broad range of approaches and tools (rollers, spray paint, ink, silicon, transferred abstract images, stencils, scrapers etc.) to achieve this, hoping that the variety of applications creates as visceral and textured a final painting as possible.
Allied to this approach is an interest in the presence of man-made structures within the natural environment that one sees so frequently in even remoter areas. The incongruity and ‘out of placeness’ of these relics – from old foundations to garishly coloured aqua parks – offers inspiration, not least because it meshes with a broader interest I have in polarities (artificial and organic, cerebral and physical etc) which has often informed my work.
Finally I am interested in pursuing a more abstract approach to landscape which involves fracturing painted vistas in such a way as creates rhythms and reveals layers of imagery whose exposure affects the final image in a – hopefully – potent way. These images can be seen in the 'Fractured Land' section.
The various approaches are supplemented by occasional forays in to the country to work from life.
Portraits
I undertake portraits in my studio in Canberra, either from life or from photos. The process of commisioning is simple - please email me using the contact form or call me on the number provided on the same page and I can take you through it.
For portraits painted from life I would require 4 to 5 sittings of 2 hours each, arranged at the sitter's convenience. In my experience the subject is very much a part of the process. Sitters often express surprise at how rewarding the experience has been. This isn't to say that sitting for a portrait isn't sometimes boring - I have sat and I know that it can be - but that the sense of collaboration between painter and sitter in making the picture is often fulfilling for both.