Locus Amoenus

In painting and in life I am interested in Frontier-lands, or places where wilderness and civilization meet. Growing up in the suburbs around Vancouver, I equally romanticized the unspoiled wilderness of the country and the awesome human inventiveness of the city. Both of those landscapes were laden with fear and excitement for me, and each invited thoughts of travel.

I see painting as a form of travel. It is a forum that allows me to explore familiar and distant places, and to create connections between them. When I’m physically traveling, I like to plan a trip, wander and get lost, lose my bearings, and eventually find my way home. Similarly with painting, I like to let the composition grow and evolve beyond any prevision I start out with. My favourite paintings offer more than a trip for their creator- they are grounds for thought, play and discovery on the part of the viewer as well.