Picasso said
Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life
I’m passionate about art and nature. I’ve lived in many places over the years. My favourite ones have been close to nature; the rural property nestled among gum trees, surrounded by birds and animals, or by the ocean with the wind and waves. My very least favourite option was a city apartment. But even for those of us who can’t live where we prefer, I’ve discovered that loveliness can be found anywhere if you open your eyes and your heart.
I enjoy helping people see beauty and experience wonders in the simple but profoundly miraculous moments of each day, and in a way they’ve never done before.
I enjoy helping people see beauty and experience wonders in the simple but profoundly miraculous moments of each day, and in a way they’ve never done before.
The problem I see growing every year is the impact of stress on lives. In the 21st Century, busy people living in the city are spending more time commuting, working long hours and on digital devices. This is physically and emotionally unhealthy. It leaves us feeling nature-deprived and in need of an escape.
Are you one of those people who dream of spending a week by the beach or a day at a spa in a desperate need to retreat from the stresses of everyday life?
Did you know that you can create a space at home or work where you can escape every day not yearn for that elusive holiday? I’ve discovered that making a sanctuary is possible in any space. I know that art is a significant part of creating a sanctuary because it always changes the atmosphere of a room.
I believe my purpose as an artist is to reveal the beauty that is all around us but often goes unnoticed in the daily rush of life. Even the simplest and most abstract of my images are quite complex in the layering of meaning behind them and how they fit into the body of work.
Without art, our world is dry and lifeless. We wilt.
Art is a lot more than pretty pictures or the latest decorator trend. Everyone can relate to coming out of a movie feeling uplifted, confronted or depressed. Just as the filmmaker deliberately creates a mood for the viewer, an artist is entirely intentional about the emotion he or she invests in their work.
Way back in the 1980s when I was at art school, I remember going to a contemporary exhibition and sensing the most horrible feeling inside my soul without even looking at the artwork on the walls. Something affected me by what was in the gallery room, and at that moment, I fully understood that art has the power to bypass the mind and pierce the heart like an arrow. I believe good is more powerful than evil, so if negative art can disturb you, how much more wonderful is it to use art positively?
From that day, I decided that I wanted my art to carry something beautiful — to fill a room with love and peace.
Concept and meaning are crucial elements in contemporary art and photography. True art makes a statement about something, it changes the atmosphere of the space it occupies. Artists are passionate people, we care deeply about human rights, the environment and animals rights, we need to express our voice through visual means. With so much trouble on this beautiful earth, contemporary art leans toward confrontation, edgy and gritty. It aims to shock the viewer out of complacency into action.
I’ve chosen a different path.
It’s ironic that the choice of peace and beauty is filled with opposition, it isn’t a popular approach in contemporary art. If people saw the world through my lens, they would be so overwhelmed by its beauty that they’d delight in caring for it and its people and animals. So I’ve made it my life’s mission to challenge the status quo of contemporary art and be an ambassador for peace by making artworks which create a sanctuary in the spaces they hang.
The great film director Alfred Hitchcock, said
Our primary function is to create an emotion and our secondary function is to sustain that emotion
Alfred Hitchcock
It’s the same with artwork, whether it’s drawing, painting, photography, etching, collage, sculpture or any other form. The artist’s goal is for the viewer to experience something from their creation. They begin with their heart intention and then layer on other elements such as colour, the use of various mediums, scale, light and dark, line, form, symmetry, repetition and a host of other intentional and intuitive methods to make a work which expresses their theme.
The artwork carries the spirit and intention of the creator. And that flows out to influence the atmosphere of the space in which it hangs – for better or worse.
I’m very passionate about this topic because art can truly improve your life and I’ve written a book called Art Equals Happiness.
Interested to find out more?
