My paintings are a result of the interplay between my interests in art and design, and my love of the outdoors and the natural world. Inspiration comes from the visual encounters I enjoy while pursuing my interests in hiking, skiing, paddling, etc. Back in the studio, I can explore the light effects, patterns, colours and textures from natural environments further, and I then work to develop a sense of rhythm, balance, and colour dynamic in my paintings that creates successful compositions. In the subjects I choose, I am more interested tightening the focus on what is within a landscape than in the vaster order of the immense landscape itself.

Currently, my work has two distinct directions. My work in acrylic and mixed media on paper has an experimental and spontaneous quality – as I work through multiple layers of paint and other materials (drawing media, inks, collaged elements, etc.) I using colour, value, and textures, I create a “stage” for the more representational elements that I incorporate into the composition. For these, I often include images of birds, fossils or other objects from nature. I am interested in both their visual and symbolic potential. These images inform the work through their sense of character, give it context and link it to my recollection of the original reference which inspired the painting. I have most frequently used birds (particularly the corvids: ravens, crows, magpies…) in my work. Birds provide strong compositional forms, the possibility of suggested movement, and the potential for implied interaction – and I have a certain fascination with them. They are so utterly different from our own species that it is intriguing to explore the significance of their actions and interactions and to bring this interpretation into my paintings.

The other aspect of my current work is the water series, which are oil on canvas. With these paintings as well, I am looking for the patterns and textures of nature, but they are more literal depictions of the “snapshots” I refer to – segments of waves, reflections, light effects, etc. Here, my work is also a dialogue, or interplay, with nature, as my task is to identify the natural dynamic that produces this interesting form or design, and then translate that into paint. Oil paint allows more blending and control of subtle gradations in colour than acrylic does, also allowing the glazes of multiple layers of translucent washes to give depth to the work. These paintings are more representational than the acrylic and mixed media work, but they also develop on the abstract qualities of the composition as the “vignette” is separated from its surroundings and presented as a study in line, shape, colour, and light.

These two directions in my work each have a distinct character, but they also have significant similarities through in my interest in exploring pattern, texture and colour and how these particular elements play out in composing a painting. Both bodies of work are also a wonderful opportunity to bring unity to two important aspects of my life – in the outdoors, on the trail and wielding a camera, and then indoors, in the studio and wielding a paintbrush.