Artist Statement:
I believe a work of art speaks to those who are meant for it, for art is largely personal —a touchstone to our private truths where we may gain valuable insight into our inner workings and perhaps even find ourselves in an environment of empathy. It is this meeting between painting and beholder that fuels my desire to paint.
I am a Canadian artist based in Toronto, Ontario. My tools are oils and acrylics, palette knives and brushes, the indispensable paper towel and a curiosity to explore and distill what is perceived and felt.
Education:
2006-2009 Academy of Realist Art - Painting & Drawing
2009 Scottsdale Art School - Figure Drawing
2005 & 2014 Avenue Road Art - Painting & Drawing
2004 George Brown College - Photography
2004 Steve McCurry - Photojournalism Workshop
1993 Ontario College of Art - Photography
Awards & Distinctions:
2016 Artsy Shark, Featured Artist
2016 Honourable Mention, PaperMill Gallery Spring Show
2016 Best of Houzz Award
2015 Artsy Shark Abstract Artist Showcase
2006 "Not Alone" published in Journey 2 Edition
2006 "Not Alone" Digital Photographer Magazine
2006 "Little Things", Toronto Star
2005 Travel Photographer of the Year, Honourable Mention
Exhibitions:
2018 The Artist Project, Toronto, Canada
2016 Spring into Summer, The Papermill Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2016 Reversion, Super Wonder Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2016 The Artist Project, Toronto, Canada
2015 A Show within a Show, The PaperMill Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2015 The Artist Project, Toronto, Canada
2014 Sensation, Spazio dell'Arte Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2014 Corporate Gala, ShareNet Inc., Mississauga, Canada
2006 Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY), London, United Kingdom
Artistic Influences:
There was a time when my camera was to me what cell phones are to many. I took it with me everywhere. Although my technical training was with film, I was quick to embrace digital photography for the creative license it afforded me. I learned to navigate my way around Adobe's Photoshop quite well and became adept at creating composite imagery. As my ideas increased in complexity they also surpassed my abilities and, in 2006, I decided to expand my creative reach and turned to Toronto's Academy of Realist Art to explore the subject of painting and drawing in the realist tradition. My intention was to bring these new skills to propel my photographic work but instead photography propelled me towards paint. When I could no longer resist the pull of a blank canvas, I set my camera down and looked for inspiration and direction in the works of some of the greats such as John Singer Sargent, Renoir, Monet, Vermeer, Modigliani, Freud, Cezanne and many others. Some of my favourite contemporary artists include Michael Carson, Malcolm Liepke, Richard Schmidt, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Zhaoming Wu, Ron Hicks, Tibor Nagy, Jeremy Lipking, Mark Horst...the list is long.
Artist Tags:
figurative, expressive, people, women, brushwork, abstract
