Having always had an interest in artistic expression, I worked as a part-time muso through University, also writing lyrics and poetry and creating the odd drawing every now and then. I was scared off oil painting in high school by a well-meaning but overzealous Art teacher who provided me with a huge canvas to render an A4 size pencil drawing into the first example of the next major art movement! As you will have guessed, I failed in meeting her expectations while reinforcing the notion that painting wasn't for me!

Throughout Uni I was very interested in surrealist expression and this remains a driving force in my creativity. I do also practice painting formal subjects, however being basically untrained, I find these pieces far more time-consuming and problematic than painting in the abstract (which also throws up its own sets of challenges).

My other main area of interest is in Japan, having spent almost seven years of my life there. Some pieces show this influence more than others, however as my basic skills improve I hope that I can incorporate these influences into something uniquely my own. I am excited by the prospect of seeing where my painting will go and enjoy the process of developing my own particular style, which at the moment remains largely in a state of flux.