My philosophy

I am driven obsessively to create artworks which nourish the human spirit, celebrate the wonders of Nature and provide enjoyment, stimulation and a touch of magic to our lives.  I believe that for a meaningful existence we human beings need more than the basic necessities of food, shelter and security.
We must also look after our intellectual curiosity, express our aspirations and nurture our emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

That is, we need to rise above the mundane, the ordinary and the daily drudgery of survival.  This is where the arts come in.  Engagement with literature, theatre, music and the visual arts provide great opportunities to satisfy our creative urges and at the same time find lasting enjoyment. 

Themes, series and periods

Whilst I like to explore vastly different 'styles' and approaches in my artwork, there are obvious recurring 'themes' which I pursue. Examples of my themes are: water, desert, wilderness and flora.

At the same time I create pieces which tend to form 'Series' with individual works representing different themes.

Examples of these series are: spectrum shifts, patterns and minimalist colour-fields.

Artistic influences

"When considering which artists influenced me, I say I most admire Van Gogh’s intensity and use of colour to stir up emotions, Kandinsky’s exuberance and sense of composition, Picasso’s inventiveness and broad range of interests, and Paul Klee’s sensitivity and insight into our inner beings.

"As for Australian artists, I love Fred Williams’ ability to abstract the essential elements of a landscape, John Olsen’s playful and imaginative approach, and last but not least, Emily Kngwarreye’s instinctive mastery of colour, structure and connection to Country."  --  (from exhibition catalogue 2004)

Uniformity or variety?

I have a very broad range of styles and sometimes I wonder if this is a wise approach.  Should I restrict myself to a safe comfort zone and only produce countless variations of my commercially successful pieces?

I only hypothesize about this, because many artists just stick to a certain style and "look" and do endless variations in the same vein.  A good example is the Australian painter John Coburn; all his paintings seem to be based on a certain formula: an evenly coloured background and a number of differently coloured and carefully drawn shapes, usually ovals, circles, diamonds, and assorted curvaceous outlines  arranged in a carefully composed way.

Beautiful colours, subtle refinements.  No drama and no surprises, just a lovely composition, in reliable good taste, and the execution is immaculate.  Galleries love this reliable consistency.  

 Many artists on the other hand go on a merry-go-round of experimentation and exploration.  They always search for new approaches, there is no restriction on their imagination.  They tend to get carried away with new processes, they stumble on something new which has never been done before. Pablo Picasso is a good example, in all his life he used many different media, and changed "styles" regularly and with verve.  Caught up with the passion of the pursuit.

So what are the alternatives for an artist, follow the path of Coburn or Picasso?  Should he play safe and do the "reliable and boring consistent", or just get carried away with the passion of the chase?

For me, the safe way does not appeal. I much prefer the path of discovery, the chasing of a dream and the discovery of  unexpected surprises in the process!