I am so very lucky to be able to combine two of my passions; painting and fly fishing. I have painted my whole life and have fished since the age of four. These two activities are a large part of what defines me. I have always thought that later in life my painting would become more formal and intellectual but surprisingly it finds its source in emotion.
I practice fly fishing with a waterproof camera in my fishing vest, taking multiple photos of scenes and situations that speak to me. I collect these images and then combine and adapt them to form the basis of paintings. I paint in acrylic on canvas using the paint thickly; impasto with reasonably broad strokes. The use of overly intense colours create an intense, dream-like feeling that represents the concept of memory.
The real joy in all of this is remembering and reliving, through the creation process, the emotions or feelings I had at the time that I was there, in the moment, in the scene. I try to remember being in the natural environment; being part of nature, not just an observer of it. Spending time immersed in nature has a calming effect on the soul. Translating that to canvas and documenting the beautiful, natural environments in which I find himself is a delightful, engrossing challenge.
Often I tie a fly and write a description to go along with the piece.
