Growing up on an Island on the West Coast of Canada has given me a strong personal connection to the natural world. It is this world that inspires me to express the underlying spirit of the land, its inhabitants, and its impact upon us. My attempt is to capture this mood and feeling with the way I approach and execute my work and to share it with others. My strong background working with clay inspires my painting as the surface and texture of the pieces stands out. With oils my process usually begins with a black underpainting to provide contrast with the following layers. I paint mostly with large brushes and knives as this forces me to paint more loosely and achieve my desired effect. I also work in pastel for its immediate and tactile surface qualities. With pastel I begin with a rough bold under painting to build upon. I block in pure color building up layers that add more texture to the surface. I purposefully keep my subjects visually simple so as not to loose its impact. My work is expressive relying on strong composition and color to convey my ideas to the viewer, rather than accurate representation. When people see my work my goal is for it to have an emotional impact, grabbing the viewer and holding them for a moment in time.