Artist Statement

I love the warmth and optimism of summer light. I am particularly drawn to sunlit rocks. The granite outcroppings of many of the nearby islands around Pasley Island have provided inspiration for many of my paintings, as well as the play of light along beaches and the forested edges of the sea. The dynamic play of all these elements commands my attention. I love their structure, rhythm, and infinite variations.

It is through  drawing and photographing a subject that I come to feel and understand a subject. Because of their complexity, almost all of my oil paintings are painted in the studio. I like subjects that convey depth and plan compositions that bring the viewer into the picture. Throughout the process, I want my brush work to convey liveliness as well as tone and shape.

I have had the good fortune to spend part of every summer of my life on Pasley Island. Because of this, the subjects that I paint are deeply familiar to me and have been visited and revisited. The memories of places where I played as a boy are significant to me, as well as being a member of a very supportive Island community.

Bio

I grew up in Vancouver and showed an early interest in drawing and painting. After high school I attended the Banff Center of Fine Arts on two successive scholarships. There I met teachers who encouraged me to do further studies in painting. After a year at U.B.C. and studies with Tony Only I transferred to Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. and graduated with honours in Fine Arts. Later I received an M.F.A. in painting at The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. I taught middle school and high school art in Manhattan and Long Island for six years before returning to Vancouver in 1985. The great art museums and galleries in New York and Philadelphia were an especially important part of my art education.

In Vancouver I met my wife, Nan goodship, also a painter and together we went to Fair Oaks Ca. for two years to study anthroposophy and Waldorf education. Afterward we settled in Duncan, B.C. where we raised our son and daughter while teaching in the Sunrise Waldorf School. Health concerns led me to an early retirement from teaching. For the last fifteen years I have been painting and exhibiting my work locally. I have painted many commissions, mostly of scenes around Pasley Island.