The Work

My work explores the concept of paradise in conversation with religions, myth and the heroic narrative. Having painted gardens for many years as a result of growing up in a garden-obsessed English family, the concept of paradise developed naturally. The garden serves as an archetypal space where humanity has sought paradise since its beginnings. Gardens are also deeply embedded in the fabric of society, central to religions and daily lives.

The painting process begins with washes of intuitive colors. Working with the resulting shapes, a landscape emerges. Like a gardener cultivating the land, intentional mark-making amplifies the developing scene. The process is reminiscent of our search for an individual version of paradise where our life dreams have come to fruition – always searching but never truly found. The resulting paintings are imaginings of deep color that surprise the viewer with unusual texture and color combinations.