Materials
Acrylics
Time away from a specific series is needed to consider next steps and new mediums. The medium instructs the artist's direction. (Thank you, Marshall McLuhan). Acrylic is plastic and plastic is flooding our oceans and water systems. Acrylic also speaks to our contemporary life; plastic brightens it, eases it, lightens it. My work, utilizing plastic, is problematic. Some of the pieces on this page seek to locate my visual language in alternate, less harmful modalities.
Oils
In my past as a landscape painter I worked primarily in oils. Oils are immediate, buttery, texturally diverse and they can be used without toxic solvents. With oils my practice is much more environmentally friendly. I flush nothing into the water system. I use linseed and walnut oil as well as soap and water to clean my brushes.
Ceracolors
This new waterborne wax based pigment can be used like oils, watercolour or encaustic paint. Some of the washi drawings shown on this page use ceracolour wax medium for wet blending.
Wood
Painting on the birch plywood substrate is equally important to my practice. I am fascinated with the natural beauty of wood. Wood is lightweight, warm, relatively easy to form with. Growing up, my father had a substantial wood shop where I learned to use saws, drills and lathes. Artists such as Louise Nevelson, or contemporary artists such as Otis Jones or ___bring the tactile object into their painting practice. This intrigues me.
Washi
Japanese "heritage", papers, according to the Japanese Paper Place in Toronto, are formed from the inner bark of the kozo, mitsumata and gampi plants. A fast growing, renewable resource, washi paper is absorbent, , strong, often creamy coloured. The handmade varieties have stunning deckled edges as a result of the hand made process used. The archival quality












