Painting and drawing are as necessary to me as breathing. An absence from painting leaves a void – I feel restless and incomplete.
My inquisitive nature dictates that I paint a range of subjects, but I am continually drawn back to still life and interiors. I enjoy depicting a collection of objects as they would appear in a home on a shelf or table. Everyday objects, still, quiet, mundane – stacked on a shelf waiting to be used, create wonderful abstract shadows. A minimal colour palette for some paintings and in others bright bursts of vibrant colour. I include the works of Morandi, Cezanne as some influences to my approach.
Then the outside world beckons me.
The power of light on the landscape is my inspiration. Photography is the reference for most landscape paintings. Years of living in a country where painting en plein air was not safe, I became content with taking copious photographs and if possible, a quick sketch.
Consequently, being removed from the scene, the photographic reference becomes a “kick-off” point. The scene becomes transformed by memory, edited, altered and abstracted. The completed painting develops a unique character.