My practice involves working with a variety of paint mediums along with the dry drawing mediums of soft pastels and oil pencils. I enjoy exploring which medium to use for a specific concept to achieve the desired outcome. The subject matter I most enjoy exploring is portraiture and landscapes. While my style is fairly realistic, although I do not strive to mimic what is in front of me. One of the key qualities that I strive to achieve in my work is encapsulating my emotional response to the subject matter in my work. Within my landscapes, I am fascinated by horizons, storms, and how sunlight hits surfaces in extraordinary ways. My portraits are even more personal as bringing out emotions, as well as life experiences are central to these pieces. As essentially a self-taught artist, my desire to paint is driven from a personal need to create, and has broadened at times to be a form of therapy. I lose myself in the creation of the work, and can live with my imperfections. It was returning from operations in East Timor in 2002/03 that I felt a real compulsion to paint, and enabled me to express things I cannot reach or touch at any other way.