Someone once told me that it takes a good 10 years of painting a lot to ‘find your own voice’. I was shocked when I heard this. Now 10 years later, I must say I totally agree. At the beginning, I did bright colourful watercolours and acrylic on paper. Then came a period of intense drawing, mark making on paper, experimenting with the model, with charcoal, conté, pencil. I loved what was happening, but I was frustrated. I found I couldn’t transfer it to paint. For a whole year I kept trying and trying, but it just didn’t work. Then finally at a workshop in Dunedin, something happened…they began to take shape! Acrylic on canvas, latex, charcoal, ink, spread, thrown, splattered, scraped, and then, with a credit card…the figures taking form. That was the beginning. Another beginning.
This business of painting is all about the adventure of doing it…nothing about the end product. That will take care of itself.