About the Artist

I never quite know where a painting is going to take me.

I start with an idea, a colour, a mark — sometimes a landscape, sometimes a figure — and then let the painting take over. I add, scrape back, change direction and occasionally wonder what on earth I’m doing. Somehow, it usually finds its way.

I’m fascinated by the human presence in a painting. My figures are rarely fully defined. They might suggest a memory, a mood, a conversation or a fleeting moment. I like them to remain slightly elusive, leaving room for the viewer to decide who they are and what their story might be.

Colour, atmosphere and a sense of something just out of reach are important to me. Some paintings are whimsical, some more serious, but I’m always looking for that moment when a painting begins to feel like it has a life of its own.

I don’t want to tell you exactly what to see. I’d rather leave a little mystery and let you bring your own imagination to it.

And if something in a painting catches you unexpectedly, makes you pause, or simply makes you smile — then perhaps that is a little bit of magic.

One of my favourite quotes is from J.M.W. Turner:

“My business is to paint what I see,
not what I know is there.”

I think that captures something of my approach. I’m interested in what happens when you stop trying to control a painting and allow yourself to see what might be there.

A new chapter

I’m incredibly excited to have become a resident of the beautiful Wairarapa.

There are still boxes to unpack, things to sort and probably a few objects I’ll never remember where I put. But I’m itching to get back amongst the paint and canvas.

New surroundings, new inspiration and, I suspect, a few unexpected paintings waiting to emerge.