Painting is one of the ways I stay anchored to beauty in a world that can often feel overwhelmingly turbulent and confusing. It’s my way of holding the sorrow and wonder of the world together. Each piece is an attempt to offer an authentic moment of stillness, in the hope that it might bring joy to others and help them feel more grounded and present.
For me, the studio is a sacred space — a place where anything is possible. When I can soften into a state of creative vulnerability, the painting process can feel like a kind of sacred dance, or an encounter through which something new is revealed.
My more abstract landscapes begin with little more than an initial idea and a few colours that work well together. The process is rarely linear. It unfolds gradually over time, and the work often takes unexpected turns before it resolves into something that feels alive and true. Of course, it doesn’t always work like that — but even when a piece doesn’t turn out as I’d hoped, I trust that nothing is wasted.
With the more figurative Arctic or Northern Lights paintings, I start with a clearer sense of direction. These works are often built on a direct experience, and the process is more structured. But even then, there is always space for the unexpected, for listening and responding to what the painting needs as it evolves.
Whether abstract or figurative, my work is always rooted in the natural world, especially in places where silence and light feel most intense and alive: the Arctic, the coastlines of Britain, and quiet inland landscapes. These are not just locations but sources of presence and renewal.
I sense that we are not powerless in the face of the turmoil and distress in the world both near and far. Rather, like the Buddhists, I trust that we have the power to absorb some of the collective toxicity and breathe it out again as blessing in a kind of cosmic dialysis. I hope that what I do in the studio might, in its own small way, be part of that wider process.
I’d love to know how you experience my paintings; how they speak to you, and what they stir in you.
If you’re curious to see what I’ve been working on, or would like to bring a piece into your home, you can explore some of my favourite paintings and prints here.
