My Quiet Inspiration...

If there is one common theme in the subject matter that I paint, it is the tone of the subject matter - namely: "Quiet Moments". My favorite time of the day to hunt for paintings is about 6:30 am. Most people aren't up yet and the sun is just starting to rise. The shadows are long and interesting. The light is soft and soothing. Having run my own business for over 25 years now, one reason I paint is to relieve stress and the fact that I'm drawn to "quiet moments" is no surprise. I think at heart I'm a loner and enjoy my own company. I'm not shy, but my painting is a very private thing to me. I tend to paint to satisfy myself.

Having grown up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I'm drawn to maritime themes. I enjoy painting water, but I keep challenging my talents by painting different subjects. Figurative work, architecture, animals, rural, urban - what have you. I have yet to paint an abstract I'm happy with. I call my style implied realism. I don't paint high realism, but suggest it in the strokes I put to paper.

Watercolour is a challenging medium that allows you to suggest or imply details in a few strokes. I often have a viewer express their satisfaction with "detail" only to have them draw in closer and see that the detail they see, is really a product of their own mind. In reality, it is the dabs and strokes of my work, that tricks their eyes into seeing something familiar.

As a watercolourist, I am constantly trying to loosen up my style. I have a better success with nudes for some reason. They are typically looser and more spontaneous. The larger watercolours I am producing currently are very liberating.

Visit my Quiet Moments website to see what I have a passion to paint.