ARTIST STATEMENT 

Nature and my environment are the primary inspiration for my art. The sumptuous beauty of the Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, where I now live has inspired the direction of my creativity. My new mixed media paintings are a direct result of being immersed in the sensual coastal experience.

The experiences of sight, smell, sound, taste and hearing are put to canvas in a riot of lush, vibrant color and texture. The paintings are abstract acrylic collages with gold leaf on canvas. Often the abstract vision expands from a photo-realistic image the viewer might recognize as familiar.

My colours seem to correspond with the season, depending on what I am looking at out my studio window as I paint. And on what I see in my daily walks along the beach or on horse rides on the mountain trails. The bold rusts and greens of fall and winter give way to a softer more delicate feeling of spring. The flowers and gardens I paint reflect the diversity of color and texture I see.

The two passions of gardens and horses nurture my creativity and provide subject matter. I am inspired by the historical traditions of the horse in art. My experience with natural horsemanship - communicating with horses in their language - is reflected in the way I portray horses. In both my equine paintings and sculptures I invite the viewer to consider their preconceived thoughts about horses and to relate to them from the language of horse rather than the language of man.

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