Blue Monday Painting

Born a kiwi army brat in Malaysia in 1961. Living a transient life through parts of South East Asia, until finally settling in New Zealand. Through the influence of a creative family heritage and a father who painted landscapes and enjoyed making things with his hands, doing these things himself became a natural part of life. At 18 I left the central North Island country to study visual communications and design at Massey University in Wellington. Learning a wide range of visual skills through the duration of this tertiary education, (Illustration, life drawing, video techniques, 3D design, printmaking among others) gave me a broad base to draw from. Throughout (and despite) my design career, there has always been a steady and prolific practice of painting, drawing and constructions. Concepts of home and family are intrinsic, a building is the shell in which the people who occupy them create the stories of their lives. Sketching architectural structures as another might doodle while talking on the telephone, the darkness of night, the shadows cast by street lights, the element of fire, the beauty of city chaos, and secret stories internalised behind tiny windows, are all recurring narratives.