Artist’s Statement
My paintings are my response to a deep and lifelong love of nature. I’m inspired to paint scenes that draw me in to a place of wonder. Capturing my strong connection to the Alberta prairies, forests and mountain landscapes. My paintings often draw the viewer in and down a pathway, to join a journey with me, to explore, to wonder, to look to a destination that’s yet unknown.
I use dynamic composition, strong colours and creative textures in unison to create the sense of wonder I desire to infuse into my work. I begin with light layers of transparent oil paints and then build on that with more opaque and thickly applied paint with different tools, mostly my pallet knife. I work quickly and energetically especially while “plein air” painting on location, as the lighting is always changing and shifting. The complex nature of painting outdoors really excites me as an artist simply because of the extreme challenge inherent to this way of painting. The changing light, the uncontrollable elements of the weather, the uncertainly of the environment it’s all very intoxicating.
My paintings are the products of many hours spent outdoors in wild and natural environments: hiking, kayaking, walking, observing, photographing, sketching and painting. Passionately capturing those magical moments on canvas, that grace my life, while transfixed by our creator’s splendour seen everywhere in nature.
I feel so fortunate to have been exposed to some incredible experiences in the forests and on the lakes of northern Alberta as a child. The peace in the silence and stillness that can greet you there. Sounds of birds, or the rustle of the leaves, the unique smells in the different seasons awaken all the senses. Water is often a focal point in my work, the babbling creeks and streams always draw me to stop, listen and be captivated by the continues yet peaceful movement.
While painting a rural landscape the natural flow and rhythm of agricultural life often captures my creative energy. Distant tractors or combines at work, old barns, some no longer used but standing as sentinels of hard work of days gone by. The generational family farms has a beautiful story all its own, that inspires me to paint those scenes. The value of caring for the land, the incredible respect I have for the rural lifestyle, parallels to my own story and runs deep in my heart of hearts!
My true desire is to convey that passion for nature, those moments of transition of time, of seasons, the peace in standing still and holding the scene before me in a place of wonder and respect. While I paint and abide in the moment, my goal is to then return to the studio and bring that wonder of that moment back with me transposing it onto larger canvases. Sharing the passion I have with the viewer is a really sweet delight, especially when someone relates to what I’ve expressed.