Artist Biography
I started painting in 2009, while I was living in Sydney. I had no formal training in art, having studied biology and worked as a laboratory technician for many years.
The pale, silvery tones of the eucalypts were a big inspiration. At the time, I outlined my blocks of colour in white or silver to evoke this effect. The rich, warm colours of the sandstone on which Sydney was built provided contrast. Biological forms, from microscopic protozoa to imposing forest canopies, also made an appearance.
Before leaving Australia to return to England, I exhibited my work at the TAP Gallery in Sydney.
Another thing that fascinated me in my early days of painting was the subterranean: what lies beneath the soil, beyond the reach of the tree roots? Fossils, lost seas and lakes, bizarre creatures that have never seen the light of day?
What Lies Beneath, left, is an exploration of this feeling.
I have no idea where this preoccupation came from, but it led to a commission from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology to produce a series of paintings and drawings inspired by the dig on campus.
I adapted my Australian style to suit the lusher, greener English countryside. My new paintings were exhibited at the Smart Gallery, Batley. However, I felt that as time went by, my work was losing some of its impact and I decided to give up painting for a while.
I didn’t touch a canvas again until 2016. Then, suddenly… I had always loved the shoreline, and marine life had often featured in my pictures, but I felt the desire to celebrate it in a bigger, brighter way than before. Switching from conventional acrylic paints to paint-filled markers helped me achieve the effect I wanted.
One of my paintings was selected for the Royal Society of Marine Artists 2018 show in London, and I had a solo exhibition in May 2019 at the Peter Pears Gallery in Aldeburgh. My paintings have also featured in local exhibitions in Yorkshire: I took part in York Open Studios 2021, and Ryedale Open Studios in 2023.
Current ambitions: I’d like to find a way to revisit some of the effects and themes I’ve enjoyed using in the past, without losing the immediacy of my present style, and maybe find different applications for my designs.