Painting is an idea, a problem, a puzzle to be solved. It is a process of elimination. Firstly getting the known out of the way, which then gives the answer to other areas of the painting and then finally resolving the whole two dimensional space. This is how I approach painting. I like to work the large areas and gestural elements with black enamel giving structure and fluidity and then paint back into the shapes and spaces created with fatter (thicker) oil paint giving light, colour and texture.
	The strong definitions of shapes and patterns created in linocuts, stained glass and mosaics influence my work. However the lusture, consistency and texture is what draws me to oil and enamel paint. The way it remains virtually unchanged from applcation to dry paint and its potency of colour is why I choose oil over acrylic.
My work ranges from landscape through to figurative. I like to go out painting on site e.g. beach paintings - these are an exercise in decision making similar to life drawing, where the subject is constantly changing and you must work quickly, almost instinctively, it either works or it doesn't. Whereas in the studio you have the luxury of time and thought, resulting in very different work.
		Apart from the landscapes I paint outside I also paint larger pieces in the studio.
Growing up around the beach and living in the suburbs, close to the water, has influenced my painting. My landscapes depict this. Roofs, water, hills hoists and the bush at the back fence, or at the least, somewhere nearby. "The Bush, The Sea and the Spaces in Between" is not only the title of a painting, but also a title of an exhibition I had in The Manly Arts festival in 2001. Alluding not only to the subject matter, the bush, the sea and what lies in between, the suburbs, but certain aspects of the painting process, The spaces In Betweeen that I have spoken of.
Figuratively alot of my paintings deal with the theme of innocence, beauty and the loss of it. The use of butterflies, dolphins, clowns, children, and flowers as symbols of innocence and beauty. The positioning of visual elements creating mood eg; a praying clown with flowers and the moon.

The relationship between a dog and a child. A young girl facing the city and its tempting lights, standing in a park where children play. She is a child with her dog but she is beginning to question.

The sun and moon figure in my work frequently, denoting life,  light and the passing of time.  There influence and meaning immeasurable.

>>Galleries