“A place in a landscape corresponds to a place within the heart ” 
Pilgrim’s Rules, Vaclav Cilek

Artist Statement

My work explores our sense of place and how our lives are shaped by the relationship we form with our environment.

In the Thick of It uses landscape to explore the tangled path we find ourselves on during difficult life stages and the need to find our own unique path through the thicket. The images of woodland scenes and tightly cropped images of leaves illicit a feeling of being immersed in the woods. The laser cut windows that reveal a plane of pure color behind the surface image remind the viewer that the potential to connect with something greater than ourselves is always present, and can serve as beacon to guide us through.

The Be Longing series explores the desire to overcome a sense of isolation and connect with the world around us, and how our sense of place orients our experience of life. Drawing from personal photos, the images oscillate between moments of connection and closeness and moments of distance and ennui. Scenes of everyday life in our modern urban world are contrasted against those of the natural environment.

My work has an intentionally photographic quality. Each piece is methodically painted in layers using the traditional grisaille technique - a technique that builds up the form of the image in neutral tones before the application of final glazes. The slowness of the process allows me to develop the full potential of the image while also encouraging the viewer to reciprocate that slowness and spend time with the image. My goal is to create a meditative space for viewers to consider their own relationship with their local environment and to potentially reorient themselves toward the forms and hidden forces at play in the natural world.

BIO

I grew up in Australia and studied painting and art theory in Melbourne (Bachelor of Creative Arts, Victorian College of the Arts, 1996-98). I moved to San Francisco in 1999, where I worked as Director of User Experience Designer and Product Director for Mobile Products at a number of successful startups such as Trulia and SurveyMonkey. I made the decision to focus on my art career full-time in 2016. I currently work out of my studio in the Dogpath District of San Francisco. 

CV

2024 (Feb 17—Mar 17)
Solo exhibition at Rasmussen Art Gallery, Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA

2023
Leaves II and Leaves IV selected for nationally juried art prize and group show, Black and White, at Arc Gallery and Studios, San Francisco, CA

2018–2022
Represented by The Studio Shop Gallery, Burlingame, CA

2019 (June 29—August 3)
The Cityscape Show IX group show at George Billis Gallery, LA

2018
Spring Open Studios, The Art Explosion, San Francisco

2018 (March)
Exhibition at The Other Art Fair, LA

1999-2019
Worked professionally as a UX Designer and Product Manage for several successful startups 

1996-1998
Bachelor of Creative Arts, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne