I began mainly as an abstract artist; my paintings were primarily concerned with strong colour, shape and balance while being expressive. Since I had always been passionate about nature, I found myself shifting into the realm of landscapes and incorporated many of the techniques I had learned and developed painting abstract works. Even now, it is nature that inspires most of my work; the beauty of walking in overgrown gardens or woods throughout the seasons moves me and continually sparks fresh ideas.

To some degree, my work is of fiction. It is nature as I see it: simply it often begins with a focus on a specific tree or flower that has attracted my attention. Using this as a stimulus I am able to consider what I envision for that particular work. From this one element I am able to draw from the other images of nature or from my memory to create my own illusory nature. It is illusory because my work is a collage of different landscapes and natural images which I see, remember or conceive. When the subject is not as specific as a physical element in nature that has inspired me, it may be the various contrasts, colours, shapes and textures which nature flaunts before me that galvanises my completed work.

From choosing the wood and making the frame to stretching, sizing and priming the canvas, I enjoy the entire process even before applying the paint. For me, the mixing of paints, discovering the tones and shades I will use and their application are of equal importance. I often use glazes and resins combined with oil paints and experiment with consistencies so that I am able to apply the paint in the distinct manner I choose.

The use of various unconventional methods and instruments in applying the paint enables me to achieve diverse effects. Traditional landscape paintings are representational, usually involving controlled brushwork. This approach is rarely seen in my work. The techniques I use are not usually associated with landscapes but rather with non-representational abstract painting. The process from start to finish is riddled with contradictions. I may begin a piece of work with a structured plan of the techniques I will employ to achieve an in fact, greatly loose mental image of the work. The contradiction lies in that I rely heavily on serendipity, unpremeditated brush strokes, spraying, pouring and the layering of mostly diluted, though occasionally very thick paint. The initial image that I had envisioned and the end result are often very different due to this process that I utilise.

My paintings are unbound; I allow the paint to dictate to me what comes next through chance or what I see as lucky accidents. Serendipity challenges me, allowing me to use the techniques I honed in my beginnings as an artist to create abstract in character, yet delicate natural paintings. The element of chance reflects the fact that nature is constantly shifting and amazingly unpredictable. My partiality for utilising the techniques and brushwork common to abstract work allows me to revere nature in my own way.

In my view, more significant than the completed work is the process of creation. I see the value in my work not by scrutinising it as a finished piece but in how I have used my paints to capture the essence of nature that both incited and enticed me initially.