Artist Statement

My work for the last 50+ years has been an amalgamation of expressionism and surrealism: Expressionistic Surrealism.

I don’t paint things, I paint ideas, observations and perceptions. I would say my art is ‘unique’, with the focus on the metaphysical using the human figure to create a commentary on social change. I use distortion and imagination to create a shock effect to attract the viewers’ attention. I scatter body parts over landscape vistas to create a unique vision of a landscape of flesh and earth.

I use a variety of materials and processes such as; oil or acrylic paints, mixed media and canvas or paper. My style has remained unchanged from my early years to now. Many of the paintings in my Collections are based on earlier sketches on coarse paper with pencil or charcoal over many years prior to coming to life on canvas. Some of the themes have been painted again many times through the decades.

The recurring use of the colours red and white through the collections are symbolic reflecting the relationship between flesh and blood. These colours tend to exist in a surreal landscape giving a disconcerting reality to the paintings.

My aim is to convey an interpretation of social events, overlaying a brand of philosophy on the social commentary. I would like the viewer to confront the image in the painting and interpret it in their own way. Each piece relies on symbolism and each has many intellectual layers to challenge the viewer, provoke thought and start a conversation. 

My paintings are not for the non-robust, those who aspire to decorative art only, nor those that see no intellectualism in art.