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1. Your stories/memories are personal. What do you think about viewers bringing
their own interpretations to your work?

I love it!.. and I think that it's absolutely an essential part of the creative process of
making art and releasing it into our collective cultural bloodstream.
I love hearing from people who have seen my work and want to share with me
what they see and how it makes them feel. There is no better feeling, from an
artist's point of view, than having a person come up to me and tell me that they
were moved by one of my paintings. Their interpretation adds to my own
understanding of my work and strengthens my bond with my creative practice. For
even though I create my paintings in the solitude and contemplation of my studio
the finished work needs an audience to truly come alive. In creating a painting
there always comes a point where I start to become more the viewer and less of
the creator. When I begin to feel this stage in the process I know that the painting
is coming to a close. The painting is reaching the stage where it is ready for an
audience. For me this is the natural conclusion of the artist's part in the creative
process and the beginning of a phase that is full of exciting new possibilities and
stimulating conversation.

2. How do you overcome creative blocks?

Creative blocks can be opportunities... although they don't usually feel like that
when you are struggling through them. I have found that one of the best things to
do is to put down what I am working on and try something new. It could be just
using a new medium, a bigger brush or simply choosing a different subject matter.
Give yourself the permission and space to do absolutely nothing of importance
and most of all trust yourself! You have everything you need to get to where you're
going. When I think of the phrase 'creative block' I think of holding onto something
too tightly, gripping it like your life depends on the successful outcome of this
creative act. It doesn't! Life flows through many things and being creative shows
up in a myriad of human endeavours and activities. Cook a dish you've never made
before, plant a garden that will bring you and others joy, workout and challenge
yourself to a new understanding of who you think you are. Nourish your mind,
body and spirit and re-engage with that quiet, sustaining, joyful flow that is life
coursing through your veins. As the refrigerator magnet puts it "let go or be
dragged"!

Q3. What are your biggest inspirations?

I have always had an interest in many subjects so inspiration has always felt like it
is everywhere. Sometimes my bigger challenge is curtailing the inspiration so that
I can complete what I am currently working on. Without a doubt, Nature, in all its
diversity and complexity serves as an infinite source of inspiration for me. Whether
it's the way a cool crisp october light interacts with the mesmerizing planes of
rock formations, or getting lost in the enigmatic apparitions that ebb and flow
across the shifting surface of a meandering river deep in an ancient forest. or
observing the sublime thrill of catching the last light of day caress and illuminate
the elegant and billowing petals of the first magnolias in Spring. Inspiration is all
around us! With the eyes and mind of an artist everything has the potential of
becoming your next work of art.

4. How does your art affect other aspects of your world?

My art affects every aspect of my world primarily because my life completely
revolves around making art each and every day. But also because being an artist is
a state of mind, a unique way of looking at the world, a way of being in the world.
For me there is no separation between art and life and as such it is assimilated into
every aspect of my way of living. I have a strong daily painting schedule which
helps me sustain a regular daily practice. When I am not in my studio everything I
encounter and engage with is viewed through the lens of an artist. My senses are
always on the lookout for new and interesting pictorial compositions, color
combinations, subject matter. The drive to create, make, craft is there from the
moment I wake up and the richness and beauty that an artist's way of life reveals
is fundamental to my understanding of what it means to be human. I can't imagine
any other way of being in this world!