”Moments from nature and local sites around Huronia, characterize my oil paintings.
I hope that my passion for colour and play of light will evoke emotion in the viewer.”
My Stor(e)y:
After taking a six week course in watercolours, I knew the medium was not for me. Then, Jen Lawton introduced me to oils. I fell in love and oil paint remains my preferred medium. They produce the rich colour I was trying to bring to my work. That day with Jennifer was a two fold awakening. I grew up with a camera in my hand and loved ‘getting close’ to my subjects. Seeing Jen’s vibrant macro paintings got me really excited and inspired my painting journey.
My passion is to capture a small piece of a story. My paintings portray things like an old pair of shoes, a broken chair, leaping feet or a crinkled candy foil. I delight when someone either can relate immediately to the story within the work or is not sure initially what they are looking at. Sometimes you see the light go on, as they smile in recognition, or witness their delight when you tell them what it is and they grin; tickled to see what I see.
In the past few years I have expanded my painting themes to include landscape. Inspiration around beautiful Huronia, is minutes from my studio.
The ever elusive challenge to portray effects of light with paint is what drives me. Early influences were Paul Peel and Clarence Gagnon. Local influences are Jen Lawton for macros and Cathy Boyd for her landscapes. I am in awe of paintings by Kathleen Dunphy, Becky Joy and Jeremy Sams. The way they have captured light is inspiring and I use their works as great learning tools. I strive to ‘loosen up’.
I feel a strong passion to record on canvas, the life-force in nature. My goal is to capture breathtaking vistas as well as glimpses of small details. By focusing on cropped images such as the play of light within the shadows; new perspectives can be explored.