ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Over the past thirty years, my artistic journey has been a continuous exploration of the natural world and its deep resonance with emotional and spiritual states. My work is intimately entwined with my inner world, echoing the peaks and valleys of life, and guided by the mantra: Heal Yourself, Heal The World. This personal philosophy underpins all my creative expression.

Although I was born with a creative spirit and enjoyed painting and creating imaginary worlds as a child, I did not come from an artistic family. My practice began to take shape more formally after completing a Bachelor of Design in 2000. I explored three-dimensional forms using raw, tactile materials such as cement, pumice, rock, and later polyester casting resin; I created sculptural outdoor furniture and lighting. The resin's luminosity, translucence, and permanence fascinated me - it allowed me to preserve fleeting moments of beauty in tangible form. Yet over time, the toxic nature and physical challenges of working with resin on a large scale led me to seek out new ways of expression.

This transition marked a significant shift in both material and method. I began creating multimedia paintings with more accessible and flexible materials: acrylic, oil, varnish, and layers of cement and fixatives. These works continued to evoke the elemental forces of nature, often dark and textured, capturing emotional landscapes through dynamic, visceral representation. They became a dialogue between the internal and external, where natural phenomena mirrored psychological and spiritual terrain.

A deeper, more intuitive connection with my creative self emerged through the medium of clay. During the making of ‘Deadwood Forest’, exhibited at Corban Estate Arts Centre, I surrendered thought and allowed the clay to shape itself through my hands. The process bypassed intellect and invited instinct. From this, a forest arose, weathered and transformed by the elements, yet standing in harmony with its environment. It was a powerful metaphor for the human spirit: adaptive, vulnerable, and resilient.

This shift marked the beginning of a more fluid and spontaneous practice. I moved away from a need to explain or define. I embraced uncertainty and allowed the work to emerge in collaboration with the materials. Rather than forcing meaning, I now let the process reveal itself: imperfect, intuitive, and deeply honest. The results are not always understood immediately, even by me, but they are always authentic and aligned with a healing journey.

In my 2022 solo exhibition Elemental, I brought together works spanning years of artistic and personal evolution. Earlier pieces, created with cement, oil and varnish, expressed heaviness and struggle, using strong imagery and dense texture to portray emotional intensity. These reflected a time when I needed to represent my pain in a way others could see and understand. As I became more conscious of my inner narrative and subconscious patterns, my materials and methods began to lighten. The transition is visible: from rigid, heavy surfaces to airy compositions and fluid movement.

Today, my practice has evolved into one of almost pure fluidity. I work predominantly with water-based materials such as gouache, acrylic, inks, and watercolours. These mediums allow for immediacy, spontaneity, and a gentle surrender to the unknown. I am no longer concerned with literal representation or the need for the viewer to understand. The work is a conversation between me and the materials: intimate, meditative, and free.

In 2023, during my joint exhibition Anew World, I reflected on how my creative and personal paths mirror the collective experience of transformation and awakening. As humanity grapples with its relationship to self, others, and the earth, my own journey has been one of uncovering the heart’s truth, peeling back the layers that obscure it, and allowing it to shine.

Art for me is not just expression, it is healing, spiritual practice, and communion with the unseen. I do not always know what is emerging in my work, but I trust it. I follow the thread of feeling, surrender to the process, and allow the unexpected to lead the way. As artist Jake Wood Evans aptly put it: “The most interesting paintings exist between control and surrender - where the unexpected happens.”

That is where I create. 

That is where I live.