I was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1938 and began my creative life at The National Art School in Sydney.
Arriving in London at The Slade School of Fine Art in 1961 - 1967 I found that Watercolour was too 'thin' to paint with. As an oil painter and watercolourist, discovering Gouache (opaque watercolour) gave me the added intensity of oil that I needed as a colourist, it changed everything. Suddenly colours started to appear and burst through onto the white paper! Still-life paintings became more exhilarating, colours were blended and all from my many palettes.
I am a decorative painter who, in time, has explored the joy of painting in 'small dots' known as Pointillism. This was unsuccessful with Watercolour as Gouache dries rapidly and the small dots do not run. I also use sepia ink (dip pen) and oil crayon, which I love as it adds contour and enhances the work.
Travelling the globe with brushes, paints and sketchbooks, sitting on a vibrating bus through India, resting on the hot sand in Central Australia and standing on an Ancient stone in Egypt, I complete all my paintings directly on the spot.
My love, influences and passions were Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Signac, Fauves and Andre Derain, which can all be seen in my work in every brush stroke.
