Longitude &  Latitude 

This series of longitude and latitude paintings are based on my memories of places I love. My home in Vancouver, the mountains in Whistler and the many cities that I have visited over the years. My memories of places are meaningful but when I use them as inspiration they are completely free of realistic landscape. Multi-layered in their construction, these works lend themselves to storytelling by enticing viewers to find their own meaning. Images from my memory find their expression in the painting often in geometric or organic shapes. I recently realized that Matisse and his late stage cutouts are a huge influence on me. I paint large pieces of paper with colour. Once I paint these large swatches I take my scissors, exacto-knife or I just tear the pieces into shapes. Because they are freely moved around I can play with them, laying out the pieces on the underpainting. It is liberating to not worry that I will make an error. At this point I am engaged with what is in front of me and I make decisions through impulse and reaction.The process creates the story. I have always been interested in materials and the processes of art. Before becoming a painter, I was a potter fascinated with the the tactility and manipulation of clay; molding it into functional object with my own hands. I think that experience as stayed with me.

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