I am inspired by the patterns, shapes, colours and textures within the landscape. I create paintings that celebrate places and features I feel connected to. These landscapes are often based on the place where I live - a very small town nestled at the foot of an extinct volcano. Characterised by dry-stone walls, rows of gnarled cypress trees, dairy farm paddocks and the silhouettes of weathered volcanoes rising boldly from the plains, it is a place that constantly replenishes and stimulates me.
My paintings can also come from other places close to my heart, whether through family connections or the landscapes of childhood memory.
I am interested in the combination, contrast and definition of clean lines and organic and graphic shapes. Natural and man-made features are often stylised or portrayed as geometric motifs.
The ideas for all my paintings come initially from direct observation. I take many photos but never work directly from them. Instead they act as a memory bank and I combine and translate them to create a unique and authentic sense of place - my own new reality.
Working in acrylics , each painting is the result of numerous layers, sometimes partially revealed through scratching back into the painting. I occasionally add mixed media elements such as pencil, and oil pastel.