Over the past decade or two, I have celebrated through my artwork, the beauty and fascination that we can find in nature mainly within the South-west region of Western Australian. As a realist artist I attempt to interpret nature with authenticity: to create images to enable people to realise just what nature up close looks like and draw out an emotional response from the viewer. These are not photographic images as there are man-made limitations in creating imitations when an artist puts paint to paper. There is a high reliance to achieve a result where the viewer simply says: “That’s just how I see them (the birds) at my place- sitting- just like that”. The aim is to connect people with nature through artworks of naturalism.
I have produced new fine art watercolour portraits of several uniquely WA birds including Red-tail, Baudin’s and Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos, and some major new paintings of favourite Western Australian native plants such as Mottlecah, Gungurru and Illyarie. Wherever I can I try to apply the names used by the Aboriginal people of the region as they sound so “easy” and natural. And it is these names that have possibly been used for thousands of years. I also love to create paintings of local Karri bushland and open fields dressed in winter clouds blown in from the nearby oceans.
My interpretation of places, representation of details in nature, and development of compositions results from my years wandering through the bush, checking out every art gallery I come across, and working as a design draftsman and illustrator.
My preferred mediums are watercolour and pencil on hot pressed paper which provides a beautiful smooth surface for capturing detail and completing fine line-work. I use a mixture of the finest quality professional artist’s paints to ensure colour consistency and maximum preservation standards are achieved; and place considerable attention to elegantly framing each work.