Artist's Statement

I was born in 1960 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and later that year my family relocated to Stoney Creek, Ontario, a small town near Hamilton. I was interested in art at a young age and in high school was able to start proper instruction which led to my decision to study fine art at the University of Guelph (Ontario). Later my learning was supplemented at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax. I was influenced by Canadian artists such as the Group of Seven and high realists such as Alex Colville and Ken Danby.

I am intrigued by the colours and textures of the Canadian landscape. I have lived in five provinces and have travelled the entire of the Trans-Canada Highway and love the diversity of our country from coast to coast as it provides a multitude of images to paint. Having lived all my life in urban settings I relish the opportunity to get to the back country to refresh body and mind. That is my approach to painting, to convey the euphoria of being out in nature by having the viewer sense the breezes in the grass and trees, the motion of water and to feel the temperature of the day portrayed. I use thin layers of paint to control the light and shadow in my work, trying to achieve an air of luminescence in my work. My medium of choice is acrylics as it allows me to achieve a lot of colours in a higher key which is a characteristic of many of my pieces. My hope is that the audience enjoys my interpretation of our nation’s natural beauty. I am priveleged to have my work on the walls of homes and offices across Canada.