I initially trained as an artist at a number of educational institutions including and also gained educational qualifications that enabled me to teach, which I did in various educational institutions for about a decade. For the next 25 years or so I pursued my commercial interests and focused on raising my family. During this period I managed to practice art and exhibit in a number of galleries and SALA exhibitions. This early period was characterized by a “naïve” style of painting.
It was not until I retired from commercial life in 2013 that I had the time and state of mind to develop my other personal interests including reading, yoga, meditation and painting. This became a period of inquiry for me, which is reflected in the content and style of my paintings. An exploration into mindfulness and other faith traditions corresponded with my shift to abstract painting. Initial landscape abstraction led me to an abstract expressionist style of work. Currently I am particularly interested in exploring the use of art and image making as a reflective practice and as a tool for self-inquiry.
I have used a bird as a symbol of the “otherness” beyond the human experience that pervades all things. For me it is articulated in a range of terms such as Divine, God, Presence or a Deeper Reality. The bird is beautiful, and fragile beyond man’s control and dominion. It possesses qualities man does not – freedom of flight, and like God, observes all things from a different perspective, seemingly in an impartial and non- intrusive way. A bird is also gentle and beautiful. It is not an obvious visual element but hidden or blended into the overall tapestry, just as the sacred is veiled and obscured within our own lives. This motif is also hidden within my current abstract paintings.