Memory of the Canadian North Painting

I was born in Canada and have been living and painting in the UK for 30 years. My studio is in Abbotsbury, a 600 year old village in south west Dorset. This is where I work and exhibit my paintings. Viewing is by appointment only. In my painting I work with what I call the 'interior landscape'; I use images and ideas from my dreams to help me represent visually the mountain ranges and coastal plains inside a person. It takes time and reflection to collect this information and then develop it as an image. I build the image up slowly on paper, board or canvas, using materials dictated by the image and its complexity. I apply the paint with a palette knife, followed by layers of transparent glazes. This process is repeated until the desired textural effect is achieved. This sometimes means that a work will remain 'in progress' for several years. I like to refer to this process as an "archaeological dig" on a psychic level. My travels were a period of time when I was able to increase my knowledge in both dream material, exterior landscape and culture. I have lived and worked in several very different parts of the world: Florence, Italy: home of the Renaissance Period; Quimper, Brittany, France: working with the dream symbol active in the exterior landscape. Middle East: the horizon line in the desert has similar characteristics with the dream - continuously changing in shape and movement. The Himalayas: dreams are very different at this height. This gave me the idea that there is a space where dream and life meet. Great Britain: exploring the space where dream and life meet and translating that information into an image.