Artist Statement

For me painting is a creative act which allows me to explore complex ideas. The fact that something special can be created on to a  blank canvas or a bare piece of wood presents a great deal of fascination for me. I find painting unpredictable in the sense that although my work is carefully planned, once commenced it takes on a life of its own and often forces me to change course away from the original plan half way through .Painting is a perfect intimate pursuit without any team pressure and encourages independent thought and approach.

Finding subjects and inspiration for work is something that I do not find too difficult. I only need go for a walk in any direction and I can return with an idea. I start with small ideas, expand on them and then decide if they are going to work.

Many of the paintings that I produce are quiet and rather eerie. Paintings can  have that quality and when they are studied slowly, quietly the stillness can be quite striking . This quality of stillness and its effects is something that I try to exploit whenever possible in my work and this is why the paintings I produce are nearly always depopulated and realist in style.