I am a self-taught artist. I was born in Birmingham, England, but was raised and educated in North America. I have lived in many cities in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean Islands, and in Europe.
My paintings reflect my travels, my adventures, my studies, and my life. They are the culmination of construction, de-construction, and re-construction of my expressive artistic ideas.
My paintings are colorful, vibrant and infused with their own emotions. They are layered, detailed, and abstract at the same time. They are initially based in reality but quickly venture into the fantastical, lyrical, and whimsical nature of my imagination. I tackle a variety of subjects, genres and techniques. I try not to repeat myself but there are overall themes in my work. For inspiration, I draw on my passion for photography, cinema, television, music, the performance arts, the Internet, and simply serendipity. My belief is (and my experience has been) that beauty comes in many guises; I just have to be open and ready when it does.
Many years ago, I sat in my doctor’s office, admiring a wonderful painting of Josephine Baker. When my doctor told me that she had painted it, I could not believe it. She was a doctor; doctors don’t paint! It was she who handed me a couple of paintbrushes and tubes of paint, gave me “permission”, and sent me on this quest to create my own art. I admitted to her that I am no “artist”, that I had not been trained and that I have no idea how to go about creating art. She said, “You can figure it out,” and with that I was on my way. That is what I have been doing ever since–figuring it out.