The sketch (below) was made in preparation for the painting on the right called Tsunami.

[ sketch for tsunami ] pencil/ink on paper 2001

This painting was partly inspired by a dream I had in which a huge tidal wave threatened to engulf both me and a Japanese couple that were nearby. (The couple reminded me very much of characters out of a print by Hokusai, and so the Japanese name for the work seemed to come naturally.) The painting was part of a series in which spirals and ribbon-like shapes powerfully gyrate through the picture plane.

[ artist : hokusai ] the great wave [ 1823-29 ]

The sketch was made with the help of a piece of software called Rasmol, which generates 3D maps of molecular structures. After spending some time rotating the generated image through various angles I chose an angle that appealed to me. I was looking for a structure that would convey most strongly the forces at work beneath the surface of things, and within the human mind.

[ tsunami ] oil on canvas 2001

I magnified the image using a simple graphical method and then drew this onto a prepared canvas. The painting was made with oil on canvas, using a very large brush and copius quantities of lustrous pigments. The painting is very large - over 1.5m square. [It is currently on exhibition at Dharmavastu Retreat Centre, in Cumbria, England.]

[ flower head ] digital image 2004

This series of paintings explores themes emerging from an interest in mark making, meditation and from a reading of the philosophy of the German philosopher Kant. Kant proposed that there is a special relationship between natural structures and creative mental activity. When we perceive a natural structure, such as for example, a flower or a leaf, our mind starts to try to interpret the structure, and to find meaning and purpose. This process, Kant suggests, is what gives us such a distinctive feeling of enjoyment and recognition when we contemplate natural forms - Kant even considered that the ability to appreciate nature was the sign of moral sensibility!

You can find more information, and a gallery of my paintings, by clicking here.]