My abstracts are influenced by my 30+ year experience as a designer. I use contrasts in shape & colour to attract the eye and elicit an emotional reaction. My abstracts are graphic, energetic & hopefully difficult to ignore. But whereas design is often deliberate & methodical, painting is immediate & liberating.
I’m inspired by artists who created bold, graphic works that are visually and emotionally demanding: Rothko, Motherwell, Richter… I use any tool available to get my desired effect: brush, knife, squeegee, roller, a sponge, a piece of wood, an old sock.
With my portraits, I work to capture something in the sitter’s character. Their spark. It’s the expression in their eyes. It’s a delicate thing: the slightest change in the shape of the eye or lip can tell a completely different story about the subject.
Biography
I live in Toronto, Canada and work in both oils & acrylics. Over the past 12 years I’ve produced numerous oil portrait commissions and my abstract paintings are in private collections in Canada, the USA and UK.
I have had a long and varied life in the arts. My first career was as a keyboardist, singer & songwriter, where I recorded and toured with a Juno Award-winning band and performed in concert halls & arenas across North America.
In 1989, I began a second career in graphic design. I’ve developed branding, design & advertising for arts, culture & sports clients across North America, and have been a guest speaker at numerous arts conferences & events.
