Pinky Bay Day

Pinky Bay Day continues my fascination with beachgoers framed against largely monochromatic backgrounds...in this case an unmistakeable "Pink". I enjoy the way this disrupts the senses, my graphic design background comes to the fore, straddling that figurative world against the graphic principles of colour, shape and form. A bit of a statement piece signalling a departure from the more traditional with a shift towards the unexpected. Forever trying to keep the figures lose, the idea being that the economy of brush strokes helps maintain a certain energy and vitality, something that can often be otherwise lost in more graphic painting. Above all it exists to bring a smile to the viewer, to brighten a room, to lift the energy and the mood, hopefully it goes some way to achieving that.

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Ever since i could clasp my chubby little fingers around a pencil i have felt a strong urge to create and capture, to bring ideas to life and to challenge my own abilities. As a teenager i exhibited at various local shows, winning prizes and encouragement. I graduated from graphic design at RMIT and landed my first job as an art director in an advertising agency. 35 years later i feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with so many "industry creatives" and create many memorable campaigns. Throughout those years i continued to draw and develop ideas but only in the last 18 months has the opportunity arisen where i can now focus on painting and in many ways it's a journey that is just beginning.
Working from our studio (my better half is also a painter) i have been focussing on topics that bring joy to my life and hopefully others too. With a 'graphic" art background, i look to colour and form to compose and frame my pictures. Our beaches in summer and snow covered slopes in winter provide the ideal setting for me. Adopting a "birds-eye' view and a largely monochromatic backdrop means i can introduce bursts of colour largely through the people enjoying the environment, whilst maintaining a slightly unconventional representation of the Australian "landscape genre'.
The human form in all its multitudes of shapes and sizes is also of great interest to me, i enjoy the little narratives and take great pleasure in working these into all my works. there have been several commissions now requesting family groups to be incorporated.
With contemporary interior design trends in mind, my aim is to introduce some of life's little pleasures into the home, responses to date have been most encouraging. I look forward to seeing how this journey develops.