My painting journey began in 2003, when I suddenly developed a fascination with the colours and forms in the New Zealand landscape, and how the constantly changing light affected sea and sky.

I began with watercolour, as my brother Chris, who is a professional artist in the UK, has worked with watercolour all his life, and it seemed like the right place for me to start.  I loved the excitement and unpredictability of working wet-in-wet, especially painting skies and water.  I knew nothing, but I soon learned a lot - from books, studying paintings in galleries, working with other artists and getting occasional lessons along the way.

In early 2007, I attended a Jane Zusters 8-day workshop at The Quarry in Whangarei, which marked a major turning point for me, discovering the joys and challenges of working with acrylics, building multiple layers to develop depth and mystery.  I gradually began to let go of the tight reins of control that had been holding me back, and realised that my imagination and spirit could offer much more than I had thought possible.

I try allow my musician’s improvisational instincts to take over once I start painting, aiming for “All mind, no mind”, as Max Gimblett says.

Last year, my main focus involved using my first attempts at monotype printing as the starting point for a series of abstract expressionist works, and in 2012 I hope to learn more about printing, as well as continuing to create mixed media works inspired by a recent trip to Japan, Europe & the USA.