Chinitas

Chinitas is based on a passageway in the old quarter of Málaga, Spain, close to a café that became one of my favourite morning places when I lived in the city several years ago. The passage, known as Chinitas or Ladybird, is crossed by a series of small sculptures of acrobats, whose movement contrasts with the monumental architecture surrounding them.

I was particularly interested in the relationship between the scale and stillness of the buildings and the small, animated human figures. The architecture occupies most of the painting, but the figures provide its sense of life and movement.

Light was equally important. The pale surfaces of the upper buildings catch the daylight while the passage itself remains in deep blue-black shadow. The changing temperatures of the light, together with the strong geometric forms and small areas of reflected illumination, create a sense of depth and atmosphere without requiring extensive detail.

Although the subject is recognisably Málaga, the painting is also about memory and the way a familiar place becomes distilled over time. What remains is not necessarily the complete physical scene, but certain relationships of light, shadow, architecture and human presence.

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I loved to draw and paint from a very early age. I was fascinated by the capability of artists to bring to life the world around them; to represent form, light and shade; to create three dimensions within two.

Simultaneously I was drawn to photography. From my earliest self-processed black and white prints to the sophistication of modern digital manipulation, I have always taken pictures.

In my professional life I established and ran successful creative businesses in London, Luxembourg, Malaga, Berlin and Sydney. I held senior roles in prominent design practices and advertising agencies, including the creative directorship of Europe's first online service.

More recently I taught design at universities and design schools in Sydney, Australia and Southern Spain with particular focus upon sustainable design thinking, human-centred design and developing successful design practice.

My work has been recognised as a finalist in the Stanthorpe Art Prize, the UniSQ Biennial Art Award and the Burwood Art Prize. My drawing "Venice Winter Evening" received special commendation from the selection panel for the Basil Sellers Art Prize, while my paintings have also featured in curated collections by Saatchi Art, been selected as Bluethumb Staff Picks, and included in Artsper’s New & Remarkable Artists selection.

I began my career as a junior illustrator in London. It's therefore appropriate that with more time on my hands these days I should return to my first love.