“Painting is my passion! With soothing music playing in the background, I pick up my palette, mix my colours and then apply brushstrokes to my canvas. It is then I become completely immersed and mesmerised – it’s as if I am in another world altogether. I can sit and paint, glued to my canvas and oblivious of time, for hours.”

From a very early age I have been good at sketching, drawing and painting, and when I left school I admired and was highly influenced by the work of Vincent Van Gogh and the surrealist style of Salvador Dali. I would sketch in pencil and charcoal, and complete a variety of paintings in watercolours, gouache, oil and pastels, as well as mixed media. Portraits and landscapes were my preferred subjects.

I studied architecture when I finished school. Then, after moving to Sydney in 1988 and as I continued to pursue my architectural profession, my interest in painting did not diminish. I would paint whenever the opportunity arose, be it “en plein air” by Sydney’s harbour foreshore (with the Julian Ashton School of Arts), as part of the Sydney Festival, or exhibiting at North Sydney Council’s annual art show, where the theme was to depict council’s rich heritage and culture.

With the passing of time, my desire to paint turned into a full-time passion. “Sometimes when I am occupied with mundane activities and am away from my canvas, I feel as if something is missing in my life.”

I like to give back to society, and so have worked as a volunteer in my community. I have assisted Blacktown Arts Centre, and the Ku-ring-gai Art Society. I have volunteered as an art tutor for Wesley Mission’s School for Seniors, and have painted and presented my artwork at the “Hand2hand Painting Initiative”, a charity fundraising event.

I am an exhibiting member of the Ku-ring-gai Art Society (KAS) and the Combined Art Societies of Sydney (CASS), and have frequently exhibited my work with them as well as with North Sydney Council and the South Asian Film, Arts and Literature Festival (SAFAL), the Laurel Leaf Bistro and Marie-France Salon. Many of my paintings have been sold and found new homes. In 2020, KAS selected one of my paintings for the promotion of their Spring Exhibition. My paintings have been appreciated and highly commended.

After attending a number of workshops run by the Ku-ring-gai Art Society, including those by popular watercolour artists Malcolm Carver and John Haycraft (both of whom are architects-turned-artists), I developed a strong interest in watercolours, however I continue to paint in a variety of media – charcoal, watercolours, oil, soft pastels and acrylic. I have never restricted myself to one particular style or medium, and the range of subjects I paint is wide. I like to share those subjects that I find visually stimulating; subjects that appeal to me and touch my heart. This can be done through portraits, pets, landscapes, wildlife or even abstract pieces.

My passion for portraits has led me to the Archibald Exhibition each year, keen to see how other artists present their subjects. Painting a portrait is challenging. It requires capturing the right mood and facial expressions, especially the eyes, as it is the eyes that make a direct connection with the viewer. Getting this right is the most rewarding experience.

My interest in painting portraits – and pets – has developed more than ever in recent times. Using soft pastels, watercolour and oil, I have completed enough commissions to consider myself an established portrait artist now. It all began by painting portraits for friends and colleagues, which I would present to them on special occasions. I then began to paint pet portraits, having been inspired by my own dog Snowy (a West Highland White Terrier). People started to make enquiries, and commissions followed.