Much of my work is focused on landscape where the inspiration has been drawn from the New Zealand bush where I lived for eight years. Though I have left that most wonderful land, I still dream of it. The paintings are a celebration of the forest and the reaffirmation of life. I continue to be inspired by this land surrounded by the sea, with its unspoiled bush filled with ferns, and atmospheric conditions created by sun and rain.
These painting are metaphors for the inner spiritual landscapes where nature refreshes the spirit, cradles life, provides growth and renewal- a spiritual sun and rain. Titles are often drawn from the ancient Greek and Roman myths: myths giving reason and consequence to human impulse and folly, while speaking of the mysteries of the universe and nature's impact on human existence.
I attempt to do what many other painters have done : to interpret nature. I couch this investigation using terms of modernism: a receding movement demands a forward movement, cool color balances warm, dark-light, up-down, in-out, calm busy- it all has a descriptive purpose. My approaches differ according to the subject and condition but, most of all, by the temperament of the moment.
Paintings have a life of their own. Some leap into existence, while others need to be carefully natured from an idea or atmosphere.