I pursued my love for art by completing a degree in art at the University of Calgary in 1983. While there, I majored in painting and drawing. It was m original intention to teach, but I decided early that teaching would not be for me, but continued with the studies for my own benefit. Ironically, I think I learned more from the other students than I did from some of the professors, but all in all it was a successful 6 years.
One of my other big joys is gardening as it is like creating a piece of art you can walk it. It appears that sometimes the mistakes work in gardening just as they do on canvas or paper. Other interests have been travelling and spending time on the beaches of Vancouver Island with my close friend and confidante (Beau) :) .
Since taking an early retirement in 2014, I now have the time to be able to pursue my desire to create even further. With the many paintings that are in my head, now the challenge comes in getting them all down on canvas and paper. It is so true that there is not enough time in the day to do everything we want, but I am trying
I make my way through the day looking for that which the average person does not see - I want the viewer to see that which has inspired me. I create because it is in my nature just as breathing is - I want, I must and I have to CREATE. The process of developing a painting for me is one based on intuition. When I begin to work, I will generally have a photo - it is then I roughly sketch in graphite and colour washes in order to lose all the white areas. It is evolving shapes/forms made from the large brush marks that eventually develop in front of me that begin to separate any resemblance between the photo and the actual canvas. I do not seek deep meanings into my works or wish for the viewer to understand, simply enjoy the final outcome.