About

My Story

I was born in Zambia and as a child moved to the beautiful countryside of southern England with my parents, brother and sister. I now live in Auckland, New Zealand.

I loved drawing and painting all through my childhood and into my teens. Then regrettably, I neglected it for many years whilst attending University and following a career in environmental management. My creative spirit persisted however: I would cling to opportunities to make my office work more inventive or carve out slivers of time during my lunch hour to sketch on scraps of paper. I started painting again in evenings and weekends.

In January 2023 I made the decision to quit my full-time job after 18 years.

Building a new career was daunting, but shedding this skin was immediately energising. I resolved to set myself a fresh outlook and remain open to the challenges ahead.

First things first, though, I had to start creating more art I was happy with. Over the following 12 months I concentrated all efforts to learn new techniques and train my eyes to see differently, in shapes, colours and values. I joined a local art group, attended weekly life drawing classes, studied almost every art book in the city library and scrutinised the methods of numerous online artists.

My Gallery page shows my growing body of work.

My Artwork

I paint a variety of subjects often portraying aspects of the natural world. But I’ll also readily tackle man-made subjects.

A perfect day usually starts by exploring an idea with a few small sketches. These may take an unexpected direction, perhaps because an incidental pencil mark or brush stroke creates a new possibility. Over the course of the day, I guide this into its final expression: a combination of the original subject, my inspiration and ideas, and where the painting decides to lead me. A strangely exhilarating collaboration.

I’m attracted to the styles of contrasting artists and this influences and enriches my outlook. One day I will be drawn to a looser, more abstract style; on another day, I will be captivated by the precision of, say, nineteenth and early twentieth century print illustrators.

My artistic motivation, therefore, can swing between varied sources of inspiration. This might worry someone striving for a distinct brand style, but I view this multidisciplinary approach as a source for learning, experimentation and enjoying what I do.

Certain subjects lend themselves to particular media. My first choice of materials is often the luminosity and unpredictability of watercolour. But I may feel compelled to combine this with pen and ink when I desire a little more control, for example when drawing a building. I also work in acrylics and oils, graphite and charcoal when aiming for a looser feel.

I hope you enjoy browsing through my work, and please consider subscribing to my News updates and/or Instagram account to see how my art evolves.