I was born and raised in the east end of Toronto and have lived in the beach area for the past 35 years.  As a child, my earliest instincts led me to oil painting and after working in many other mediums, it is still my favourite. I worked as a commercial artist and then pursued another career that gave me sufficient free time to continue my passion as an artist.

I have studied painting and drawing at York University, Three Schools, OCAD, Toronto School of Art, Haliburton School of Fine Arts and presently I am continuing my life drawing classes at the Neilson Centre for the Arts.

I like to explore texture and form but it is colour that resonates through me. I use colour literally and symbolically for various essences in any subject matter, be it figurative or non-objective. My style moves from realism to abstraction, thereby fulfilling my creative process. My approach to painting is spontaneous and gestural. 

I have had 2 solo exhibitions within the past 5 years at Here and Now Gallery, Toronto as well as several group shows in galleries and other public venues over the past 25 years. I have painted many fine art commissions both on canvas as well as interior wall murals. While some of my paintings reside in corporate offices, others have been taken “home” to South Africa, England, USA and Switzerland. I belong to the beach studio tour and have opened my doors twice a year in its 14 year history. I am one of the original artists at Masterpiece Gallery, once an artist co-op and presently a commercial gallery on Queen St. East and continue to be a member of various art organizations. In June 2006 I joined the RedEye studio Gallery in the Distillery as a permanent artist.

The need to paint is compelling in my life.   Art is the synthesis of my personal feelings.

I start a painting with pure pigment and brush using a spontaneous gestural approach.  While painting, there is an internal dialogue between my thoughts or ideas and the canvas which directs me to a composition or the revelation of an image.  Colour is usually the primary subject.

My preferred medium is oil because of its superior mixing and blending qualities, however acrylics have found their way onto my palette intermittently for the last few years.  I prefer working on large canvases while standing and love applying pure threads of colour which pop.  Most of my paintings have a focal point to maintain the viewer’s interest.

I like working both figuratively and non-objectively and think my paintings can be read on many different levels.  Later, when reviewing my work, I inform myself whether they arise from memory or the subconscious and then give them a title.  Some of my work may originate from conversations or observations of friends while others are self portraits of my life.  Sometimes a once conceived abstract even brings a piece into the landscape realm.

I still maintain my hand-eye co-ordination by continuing to attend life model workshops throughout the year.