Artist Statement
I have come to painting relatively late due to a life-changing experience which left me transformed on all levels and made it suddenly impossible for me not to paint. This metamorphosis brought with it a new awareness of the world around me in terms of colours, shapes, patterns and textures.
I developed a gratitude for what many others would call the mundane. The fleeting nature of images encountered in daily living began to hold a fascination for me, inspiring a desire to capture and preserve these moments. It became evident that it was the familiar, ‘ordinary’ (and often unnoticed) experiences in life that were truly the important parts; the space between the adrenalin moments is where we spend most of our time and it is this space that, for me, warrants acknowledgement, appreciation and expression.
Inspiration comes from a multitude of sources. My subjects truly choose me and I never know quite when or where they will present themselves. It may be a newspaper article, a sentence in a novel, a picture in the newspaper or a glimpse of something through the window while travelling in the car.
I now live with a desire and an attempt to always be present in what I am doing, to always keep my senses on alert, never take things for granted, always look for significance in the ordinary, constantly searching for or inventing a variety of possible stories to go with my observations. My task is to act as filter, to distil the essence from my subjects, to imbue them with importance, to invite the audience in while encouraging them to bring with them their own sense of creativity and ownership. The paintings I make are to be shared, enjoyed and relished.
It is necessary that the creation of art include some element of fun for me. While I love the challenges that I set out for myself when I stand before a blank canvas, if I don’t have a smile on my face, then the process of painting becomes so much less than it could be.
The Enjoyment Factor is very important for me when I paint! It is such a gift to be able to reap so much pleasure from what I do; it is practically sinful! And if that smile which occurs during the creative process magically finds its way onto the faces of my audience, then the circle is complete.
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