Like so many Canadian artists, past and present, I am greatly influenced by where I'm from and where I am now. These experiences are the foundation of my work.
I was raised in the small town of Ucluelet, BC, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This place I call home has been my inspiration. Quintessential west coast images were featured throughout my formative years. As an art student at Concordia University in Montreal, I started removing representational images from my work and delved into pure abstracts. At the time, I focused on urban themes, such as the city's nightlife and painted using a selection of bright colours, backgrounds and lines. When I moved back to Vancouver in 2001, I quickly noticed my colour palette changed and became focused on colours that evoked British Columbia. My abstract themes also shifted and were more fixated on the most vibrant themes of the west coast, such as the ocean, waves, mountains, snow and forest.
Currently, my work is mostly abstract and my subjects range from landscape and nature, to themes of our urban culture, where new media, fashion and design are celebrated. I live in the beautiful city of Vancouver, which gives me access to a world of inspirations, both inner city and outdoors. I also continue to paint an ongoing series of representational works of the Pacific west coast, to pay tribute to where I grew up, as it will always be part of my soul.
I use a selection of the best acrylic paints on the market. I also varnish in layers and layers, applying it generously and often building it up to be quite thick, this adds a great deal of saturation and also depth.
When examining the work closely, an observer will find a heavily textured surface and investigate the painting process and materials. From a distance, the paintings can act as a visual field; upon closer inspection you find that they deceptively animate with different colours and lines that move your focus all over and throughout the composition. My pieces entice the viewer to perceive a place, object or perhaps a state of mind, represented in the paint. For me, abstract work is about capturing something in paint, without painting it.
VIKING MASTER, 2016
Acrylic with Varnish on Panel
36 × 48 inches
BREAKING WAVE, 2016
Acrylic with Varnish on Panel
36 × 48 inches
PAREIDOLIA 08/16 - WINTER BIRCH, 2016
Acrylic with Resin on Panel24 × 57½ inches
