Background

In New Zealand, my place of birth, I was working in the business sector and teaching commercial courses until I immigrated to Canada in 1973. My interest in art was evident when I was young, but I  didn't begin to study art until I moved to Owen Sound in the late seventies. Graduating with a four year Diploma in Fine Arts from Georgian College in Owen Sound (1986) and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario, London (1999) my artistic career began.

Artistic Involvement  

I am a regional artist working in the vibrant artistic community of Owen Sound, Ontario which was designated a Cultural Capital of Canada in 2004 for municipalities with a population under 50,000.  Within this community I am actively involved in the Art Town Collective (the name chosen to reinforce the image of our city as a cultural destination) in studio tours and exhibitions with other professional artists and craftspeople who live or have studios in the City of Owen Sound. In addition, I am a member and have served on the Board of Directors of the Owen Sound Artists' Co-operative, a fine art and craft gallery run co-operatively by about 40 regional artists.  My work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions and juried shows at the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery of which I am a member and a volunteer.  I am represented by Gallery de Boer in Owen Sound and exhibit regularly in group shows at Flesherton Art Gallery in Flesherton. My involvement in this community also includes teaching a Collage and Mixed Media workshop at the Southampton Art School and from my studio upon request.

The Process

My artistic expression is primarily abstract and figurative paintings in bold colours with rich textural surfaces. The Collage and Mixed Media paintings are on 300-pound Arches paper, canvas or wood. I collage found papers (such as maps, old wallpaper, dress patterns, or printed material), Japanese hand-made papers (Washi), and incorporate beeswax and paint. The tactile aspect of working with papers and the element of surprise, as I manipulate the surface, appeals to me. A spontaneous dialogue between the material and myself emerges through layering, reworking and distressing the surface. This process of layering is an intuitive approach in which the integrity of each layer affects the final image. These paintings are a combination of preconceived shapes and symbols and abstract gestures and marks. 

Influences and Inspiration

The natural environment in the Grey-Bruce region influences my work and the Niagara Escarpment is a place I gravitate to when I need to feel spiritually connected to the land.  Whenever I take time to walk along the rugged coastline of the Bruce Peninsula (which is part of the Niagara Escarpment), or hike along the Bruce Trail, I’m excited by the natural dynamics.  The textures, the blended earth colours, the intensity of the blue water of Georgian Bay, the organic rock shapes and deep crevices, along with the isolation of the Bruce Peninsula and the feeling of timelessness, give me creative energy and the desire to paint. 

There are many other influences affecting my artwork that evoke a “subtle blend of the conceptual and the sensual” and a sense of journey. In addition to exploring the natural environment and reading about subjects that interest me, I have travelled to many places in the world and each culture and history inspires me and informs my Collage and Mixed Media paintings, both directly and indirectly. Perhaps my work could be summarized as “meditations on the convergence of land, time, and memory.”