Artist Statement
Art is about connection, a dialogue, sharing of ideas. This is what I intend to achieve through my painting. I paint with the hope of drawing the viewer into the landscape, striking a cord somewhere in the memory.
Through my painting, I am exploring the borderlines separating realism and abstraction. In Vancouver, there seems to be an emphasis on high realism, whether it be in the form of photos, film, painting, or simply taking in the extraordinary images which make up the landscape. Combining photographic images, embedded in an abstract surrounding, my paintings are challenging the viewer to reinvent their perception of our environment.
For the past fifteen years, I have been painting with encaustic. A combination of molten wax, demar resin and pigment, this medium has a luminous and rich quality which is exclusive to encaustic. Utilizing its versatility, I develop surfaces that are textural while maintaining a level of translucency to increase the depth of the painting. It is a medium that reaches far back into history, used by a few, but appreciated by many.
I completed my formal art education at OCAD in 1992, with a focus on painting and jewelry design.
