Freight Train Painting

The quiet whimsical world I explored as a boy is the world that appears on canvas. A contemporary surrealist painter and illustrator from Adelaide, South Australia, I feel inspired to construct synthetic moments in time that ‘could almost‘ exist. A subtle dreamlike world, reflective of everyday relationships, geometry and gestures. From an early age growing up in the mid–north of South Australia, I consistently enjoyed exploring the rural environment filled with creatures, abandoned structures, machinery and objects of yesteryear. I also practiced drawing, painting, and arts and crafts projects encouraged by my mother at the kitchen table.  Specialising in portraiture, fine art and illustration, I completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia in 2000. Since then I have has been exhibiting in numerous solo and group exhibitions, art prizes and running an independent studio and exhibition space in the heart of Adelaide CBD. Like a small narrative I explore my work as a ‘series at a time’ and focus on creating a number of personal artworks for solo exhibitions. I have also recently completed a series of commercial commission projects for film, corporate events, and international art collectors. I love to observe and experiment with perspective, subtle gestures and facial expressions. I am inspired by the symbolic juxtaposition of objects and creatures and how they respond and adapt to the ever-changing environment. ​ Influences:  I am fascinated by The Surrealists, Children's Book Illustrators, Figurative and Narrative Realist Painters and Academic Drawing Techniques. Key influential artists include: Jeffrey Smart, Anna Platten, Hugh Ramsay, George W Lambert, Norman Rockwell, M.C Escher, Graeme Base and Shaun Tan.