My work is driven by a sense of narrative mystery and often features landscapes discovered on daily walks through my old Toronto neighbourhood. Particularly captivating to me is the glorious chaos that results when industrial infrastructure meets unconstrained nature. I am constantly struck by how the appearance of even the most familiar place is continually evolving.
Photographs serve as memory triggers for developing compositions. I often collage photos — the old fashioned way, with scissors and tape – to gently guide the image around what the camera saw, to reach back and recapture the sensory memory of being present. Eventually, the photos are put aside as I carry on painting, overdrawing, scratching and scribbling until the work is messed up enough to be called done.
