Paintings
I base my paintings on collages. The collages are assemblies of disparate imagery which I find for the most part on the internet. My aim is to find an unexpected link between figures and their environments (and/or each other). I therefore combine and recombine these images (often merging them with parts of other collages) until an association emerges. It seems like a good way of circumventing a conscious approach to figure painting.
The collages form the foundations for the paintings. I try to make their compositions strong enough so that if I veer from them - following new routes the paint takes - their structure remains.
My main hope is to create a unique and persuasive world in each picture. One which works according to its own logic and convinces by the strength of imagery and the paint that depicts it.
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.
Landscapes
I’m hoping to produce a body of studio based landscapes, exploring, amongst other things, a sense of the animal histories (mainly human) that have shaped them. I aim to achieve this using a wide range of approaches to the painting process. I am currently working on a series depicting different sections of the space tracking station in the Orroral Valley.