I work with oil paint on canvas using a traditional palette of umber, ochre, sienna and cadmium hues. I will ask my subject to sit for me then I will take photographs to complete the background and foreground if necessary. The 3 themes in my work portraits, swimmers and animals - offer a portal into my imagination but I am pulled back to the portrait as a place of regeneration.

My figurative painting combines a narrative of whimsy, energy and the possibility of magic in composition, and the colors I use are mostly vibrant and startling, yet the skin tones of the figures remain within the earthly palette. I am able to capture a likeness in a gestural way and have no patience for fine detail. The paintings I make have a presence and direct energy and my subjects reveal themselves to me through their natural gesture.