I am a Canadian born artist living in the West of Ireland. A graduate of Literature and creative writing, History of Art and Textile design, I explored different creative mediums before diving into the techniques of alla prima oil painting, a medium I first experimented with at the young age of 14.
My work is intuitive, layers of paint are built freely with a lot of movement, a painted dance on canvas. Dramatic atmospheres take shape in textured palette knife strokes, yet creating a serene scene with simple forms in an impressionistic style. An interest in light, how it shapes the very things we see, their shadows and reflections creates strong compositions and pulls you right in each painting.
My current work, through subjects of landscapes, seascapes and boats, explore themes of the sense of togetherness, the serenity of co-existing.
My fascination with fishing and sailing boats began from my interest in their geometry and rigidity in contrast with the fluidity of the sea. This rigid reflection, distorted by their host, straight lines zig-zagging at the gentle rock of a tide; the inevitable influence of our environment, serene in solitude but always shaped by other forces. I use objects and scenes in paintings as a sociological reflection and metaphors of being human. The boat remains a boat, but it’s colours will change by the sun and sea, it’s reflection will move with the waves and it’s existence will be marked by the storms it will endure… The mountains and hills will dive into the sea, solid foundation always eroding and changing…
