Painting is a meditative experience and brings me to a space of peace and contemplation on the elemental component of my work; the mysterious and spiritual nature of things.

Inspired by the transcendent quality of light, which transforms a seemingly mundane surface to a luminous brilliance, colours are layered over a textured background producing a vibrant luminous canvas, in which I find limitless freedom when painting. The process is deceptively simple but the effects are deeply complex. It is this aspect that I am drawn to and which gives me a feeling of rapture.

Themes are initial reference points from which the paintings take their own form and develop organically. The circle, the beginning without end, is a symbol of unity and infinity and has real power. I have a feeling of expansion when working with it.

Photography enables me to explore and experiment with the infinite range and variety of light and subject. The momentary nature of the photograph often reveals startling images of transcendent beauty, and one in which I feel a deep appreciation to have been in that place at that time. It is the unexpected moments that inspire me, and offer a deep connection to the world around me

Influences

The first light of dawn carries with it a special energy, spacious and silent. The beginning of a new day is a time of gratitude and peace.

The beautiful and precise sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhism are particularly fascinating. A symbol of patience and tranquility, they represent the transitory nature of life. On completion of the mandala, the sand is swept and upon blessing is placed into a river for the energy to be carried forward.

The music of Harold Budd, whose ethereal, beautiful sounds bring peace and tranquility; the hypnotic music of Philip Glass who together with Godfrey Reggio produced the mesmerising Koyaanisqatsi; the unique vision of Bichelle Masrani who produced the exquisite and astounding Magnum series; Olaf Stapledon who wrote the perfect novel in Starmaker, a book of astonishing imagination and beautiful prose; the enigmatic music of Nick Drake; metta meditation by Sharon Salzberg which brings me to a space of peace and stillness; Zen stories; the spiritually inspired expression of John Coltrane; John Cage's 4'33" and his chance procedures; the theatrical illusion of Philippe Genty; the extraordinary overtone voice of Nestor Kornblum; the painting theories of Hans Hoffman; the sublime abstract paintings of Gerhard Richter; the inspirational art of Ioannis Antoniadis; Impressions 3 by Paul Debois; Dawn.August.Inisfada.Photograph 18 by Sheila Ross; the experimental work of Meredith Monk; Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, a book that revealed the wonder of plants; the electronic compositions of Ulrich Schnauss; the water crystal work of Masaru Emoto; the exquisite spiritual and vibrational art of Craig Hitchens; the extraordinary vision of Myron Christan Macaulay;