Location: Calgary, AB

My work is inspired by the stunning beauty of nature.  I am irresistibly drawn to both its’ complexity and its’ simplicity, the perfection in its’ imperfection, and the stillness in the chaos of it. I am especially drawn to the beautifully flawed bark of birch trees – scarred, peeling and cracked; to unassuming little poppies with their heads nodding and waving in the slightest breeze; and jagged rocks stained by centuries of running mineral waters.

With my palette knife, loads of acrylic paint and thick gel mediums I attempt to capture the depth and textures of nature that intrigue me.  I tend to use an “exaggerated” colour palette in my paintings.  The majority are vibrant and exaggerated beyond what you’d find in nature.  The other extreme is a near total lack of colour: in my black/white/grey scale series, it’s all about shadow and light, with select use of bright red elements in contrast to the rest of the painting.  I occasionally use pouring mediums or a high gloss resin finish – sometimes in the traditional manner and sometimes very selectively to highlight certain elements of a painting. The result is a collection of highly textured pieces that reach out from the canvas and invite you into the scenes they portray – both real and imagined.