My interest in art began at an early age, and in 1988, encouraged by a friend and a professional photographer, I enrolled in a Fine Art Photography diploma at the Australian College of Photography, Art & Communication in Melbourne. Over four rewarding years, I immersed myself in the study of art and was honoured to be named Student of the Year in my graduating year.
Although life and work later demanded my focus, my passion for art resurfaced during the Covid lockdowns of 2020, when I began painting with acrylics and oils. Since then, I have pursued painting with commitment and joy, exhibiting at the Victorian Artists Society, Gasworks Arts Park in Albert Park, Tacit Gallery in Collingwood, and Bluethumb Gallery in Richmond.
My early influences were fine art photographers such as Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, whose explorations of urban landscapes deeply informed my visual sensibility. When I turned to painting, I was naturally drawn to artists like Edward Hopper, William Wray, and Tibor Nagy. My own works often explore the beauty and solitude of suburban and rural landscapes, and more recently, I have begun incorporating human elements into my compositions.
I am interested in the tension between styles, seeking a balance between the quiet precision of traditional realism and the energy of abstraction. For me, making art is both a form of communication and a process of discovery—an exploration of the world around me and of myself.