my work
I've always loved art and being creative. Some of my earliest memories are images I created in school during art class. But then life got in the way (I became an accountant!) and I didn't spend as much time with my art, until about 12 years ago when I started painting and drawing regularly again.
My art is now a central part of my life. I love the creative process, learning new skills and finding different ways to express myself.
I've created galleries with examples of my work below and I hope you enjoy browsing!
If it's gone
My work continues to develop and evolve. During lockdown I began to explore and experiment with a broader range of mark making. I started to incorporate more mixed media with my much loved acrylics, working with graphite, inks and other water soluble media.
More recently, I've discovered the different marks that emerge when working outside, rather than being purely studio based. I find there's an energy and freedom in my marks that comes from responding to an ever changing environment.
The line between representational work and abstraction is not always clear. I'm enjoying walking that line and navigating the space between.
This gallery contains a selection some of my favourite abstract landscape paintings.
Into the woods I go
I love to travel and explore new landscapes. And I'm always taking photographs of colours, shapes, textures and landmarks that catch my eye.
Sometimes one of those images will ignite a creative spark and be the launch pad for a new painting. And sometimes a painting just takes on life of its own and travels its own path away from that initial spark. That's when you need to set the visual reference aside and just let the work speak to you.
You always need to be open to how the work changes and develops - that's the joy (and frustration) of the creative process.
This gallery contains a selection of some of my favourite contemporary landscape paintings.
Charcoal sketch - Parwich
Charcoal is a wonderfully expressive medium - messy, but a lot of fun! It's good for making quick expressive marks, creating dramatic contrasts, and beautiful wash effects with the addition of a little water.
This gallery contains a selection of some of my favourite charcoal sketches.
A day at the races: COVID-Style
Life drawing helped bring me back to my art practice and it is still one of my favourite ways to draw. The human form is amazing and I love how everyone in a life drawing class sees something different in the model.
During Melbourne's extended lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, I started drawing portraits in graphite and ink, which really helped to distract me from what we were going through.
This gallery contains a selection of some of my favourite life drawings and portraits.