Light 1 Photograph

Painting is a meditative experience and brings me to a space of peace and contemplation on the elemental component of my work; the mysterious and spiritual nature of things. Inspired by the transcendent quality of light, which transforms a seemingly mundane surface to a luminous brilliance, colours are layered over a textured background producing a vibrant luminous canvas, in which I find limitless freedom when painting. The process is deceptively simple but the effects are deeply complex. It is this aspect that I am drawn to and which gives me a feeling of rapture. Themes are initial reference points from which the paintings take their own form and develop organically. The circle, the beginning without end, is a symbol of unity and infinity and has real power. I have a feeling of expansion when working with it. Influences The first light of dawn carries with it a special energy, spacious and silent. The beginning of a new day is a time of gratitude and peace. The beautiful and precise sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhism are particularly fascinating. A symbol of patience and tranquility, they represent the transitory nature of life. On completion of the mandala, the sand is swept and upon blessing is placed into a river for the energy to be carried forward. The music of Harold Budd, whose ethereal, beautiful sounds bring peace and tranquility; the hypnotic music of Philip Glass who together with Godfrey Reggio produced the mesmerising Koyaanisqatsi; the unique vision of Bichelle Masrani who produced the exquisite and astounding Magnum series; Olaf Stapledon who wrote the perfect novel in Starmaker, a book of astonishing imagination and beautiful prose; the enigmatic music of Nick Drake; metta meditation by Sharon Salzberg which brings me to a space of peace and stillness; Zen stories; the spiritually inspired expression of John Coltrane; John Cage's 4'33" and his chance procedures; the theatrical illusion of Philippe Genty; the extraordinary overtone voice of Nestor Kornblum; the painting theories of Hans Hoffman; the sublime abstract paintings of Gerhard Richter; the inspirational art of Ioannis Antoniadis; Impressions 3 by Paul Debois; Dawn.August.Inisfada.Photograph 18 by Sheila Ross; the experimental work of Meredith Monk; Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, a book that revealed the wonder of plants; the electronic compositions of Ulrich Schnauss; the water crystal work of Masaru Emoto;