Ever since I received my BFA (painting) from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2000, I have been painting full-time. I maintain a studio in Calgary and find renewal and inspiration in the mountains and rivers of the area.
My love of nature began as a child in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver and was deepened by the mystery of the forests and the coastal grandeur of British Columbia. My love became an irrepressible desire to express the beauty I felt. Many years of experimentation in the creative arts followed, culminating in landscape painting.
My journey is an ever-evolving enquiry influenced by eastern religion and philosophy. I am the observer of nature’s shore from the oceanic peace of my inner reality. The resulting paintings built up from texture, impasto, and thin glazes of oil, create a sense of a serene and timeless world.
In 2017 I attended a “cold wax” workshop at the Ballinglen Arts Centre in the tiny village of Ballycastle on the north coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Cold wax is a mixture of clarified beeswax with added chemicals to maintain a paste-like consistency. It is used as a medium with oil paint and is generally applied with brayers and squeegees. It lends itself nicely to building layers of varying thickness, opaque or transparent, which can then be selectively dissolved, scraped or drawn upon. The resulting surface is complex and rich in colour, line and texture, perfect for expressing ideas and metaphors grounded in nature and excellent for taking my landscape painting further into the realm of the abstract.
My paintings are held in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong and other countries.
“My paintings are born at the confluence of three rivers: love of nature, love of painting and the spirit that is my heart.”
CURRENT GALLERY AFFILIATIONS:
Elevation Gallery, Canmore, AB
Artpoint Gallery and Studios, Calgary, AB
Bluerock Gallery, Black Diamond, AB