Démocratie, Democracia, Democracy... Painting

I think of myself as a humanist, an artist whose practice is fully engaged in the real world. I see my studio practice as a way of trying to come to terms with that reality and as a vehicle to share my response with others. I grew up in the Cold War world of the Cuban missile crisis, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War and the Nixon impeachment. As a child I would climb up into the tree tops seeking a refuge and a sanctuary. Since the end of the Cold War, I have watched the world descend into political, economic and environmental chaos; I see the natural world which I always believed would persevere threatened by man's actions. Many wonder what the role of an artist is in such circumstances. I believe that we cannot depend on 'those who are supposed to take care of us'. I believe that we each have to take some personal responsibility by doing whatever we can. I want to create strong, powerful images which will have an emotional and physical effect on the viewer. I hope that my work can in some way make viewers more aware of their place as part of the natural world.