ABOUT THE ART
The Alchemy of the Canvas
Creative design has been a passion of mine for more than 25 years.
I've used Photoshop since its earliest days, explored various traditional media over the years, and always loved experimenting with new tools. But what drives me remains the same: creating beautiful and fun things. At the heart of it all is a simple motivation: celebrating and honouring the things and ideas I love.
My current work brings these elements together — traditional art, digital painting and collage, and newer techniques, including fractal tools and AI/SI. Working this way opens up an extraordinary range of creative possibilities, and exploring them is an art in itself. New technology doesn't replace the artistic process; it becomes another part of it, entering a creative practice I've spent many years developing.
Evolving the Initial Spark
I love working this way because it's never boring! No two pieces follow quite the same path. My starting points can be almost anything: a pen-and-ink drawing, a sketch or thumbnail, a collage, an odd mark on a wall, a story, a poem, a photograph, an old student piece, scanned paint textures, or a fun arrangement of shapes and colours.
Sometimes I begin with an idea I'm still trying to find a visual language for — an abstract concept that might evolve over months as I work through various problems. It's a truly iterative process, and an image can go through many changes before it begins to resemble what I'm looking for.
Sometimes the results are downright surprising, with happy accidents along the way. Other times, the process is frustrating, and I might put a piece on the back burner for weeks or even months until I'm ready to return to it. In the meantime, there's always other work to explore!
​
My number-one tool, an open secret: Idea Boards
Inspiration boards, idea boards, whiteboards — whatever you call them, I use them ALL the time! Being able to lay out ideas visually at any stage of the process is incredibly helpful. I collect inspiration, move things around, compare things and see how ideas work together, often long before I even think about beginning a piece.
At some point I may share more about this process, along with other useful resources,
on my Creative Corner page.
For now, I recommend Marshall Vandruff’s course on whiteboarding, too!
The Art of Refinement
I love experimenting with compositions, colors, shapes, and textures, continually refining the results until I begin to see something that speaks to me. I may work through hundreds of variations, bringing in bits and pieces, ephemera, ideas, and artistic judgement.
My finished pieces can contain hundreds of individual layers and layer groups, each serving a purpose in the larger image. I adjust shapes and anatomy, repaint details, refine textures, balance colours, and add the little embellishments that give my work its distinctive character.
Some of the most time-consuming work happens at a very small scale. I sometimes spend hours painstakingly combing through a piece, refining details one by one. A highlight needs to sit just so; a decorative pattern needs to read clearly; a jewel needs to glow without overwhelming the surrounding colours.
These details matter to me, not simply because I enjoy them, but because they contribute to the feeling of the finished piece. When I'm preparing artwork for products such as diamond paintings, I also have to consider how those details will translate into the finished format.
​
It's a process of continual looking, adjusting, and looking again. Sometimes I can puzzle over why a piece isn't working for weeks, only to discover that one small change suddenly makes everything fall into place.
Every finished piece represents a journey of ideas, experiments, decisions, and refinements. Some stages are exciting; others call for patience and persistence. All of them contribute to the final image.
A Very Human Endeavor
I feel blessed and fortunate to do work I love, work that excites me and keeps me curious. But this way of working also takes considerable time, concentration, and persistence. Spending long hours at the computer can be physically demanding, too. Years of drawing, painting, and digital editing have taken their toll on my hands and arms, and repetitive-strain difficulties have become one of the challenges I have to work around.
I use ice, heat, and daily exercises to help manage the strain, and I'd encourage younger artists to take care of themselves early in their careers, before repetitive work has a chance to catch up with them.
I mention this because it's part of the reality of making art. I'm continually finding ways to balance the work I love with the need to look after myself and pace my efforts.
There are always prices we pay to follow our dreams, but I get to build little worlds of my own that I hope will bring delight to someone else's day.
I love hearing from people who follow my work. I see your kind comments, and I'm deeply touched when someone gifts a product featuring my art, shares it with others, or uses it to support a good cause.
Knowing that something I've created has brought joy to someone else makes it all so worthwhile. My tools may have changed over the years, but the care I put into my work has not.
Thank you for taking the time to look more closely at my art and for sharing in the little worlds I create. It means a great deal to know that something I've made has found a home with you.
