Artist's Statement
I barely remember a time that my eyes didn't follow the
ragged edge of a old pine against the sky, a reflection in a puddle or an early
morning mist rising from a lake. Over
the years, I've turned my hand to a number of other subjects, but it's the
landscape that is a constant source of visual interest. My aim is to convey the beauty I find, often in ordinary
every day scenes, and elevate them to something extraordinary. Nature doesn't need much help - nudge
up the intensity of colour here, deepen a shade there and suddenly late
afternoon shadows sweeping across a cornfield become something magical. I don't think in terms of an agenda or message for my
viewers. It's the process of
creating art that is the purpose for me.
But in our ever more virtual world, if my work causes the viewer to
reconsider their relationship with the natural world, or re-establish some
other spiritual connection, then that is the highest possible compliment.
Some Background
I trained as a graphic artist after which I worked as an illustrator for several years using watercolour and pastels as my main mediums. In time, I tired of the unpredictable income and sometimes poor art direction and now paint only for myself. Oils are a relatively new medium for me and I'm enjoying the flexibility of this medium as well as my new freedom of artistic choice.
When I'm not working in the great outdoors I work from my studio near Rice Lake in Gores Landing, Ontario.