As I move into my twilight years, I’m getting away from ‘pretty, postcard’ scenes and I’m trying to develop more dramatic images with contrasting interplay of light and shade such as those provided by vivid clouds and gathering storms. I don’t try to paint photographically as I feel it’s a pointless exercise to reproduce laboriously on canvas what a camera can do far better with the press of a button. Instead, my aim is to capture on canvas the mood that’s invoked in me by the image I’m painting and to impart that mood to the viewer.

I live on the South Coast, in the beautiful Jervis Bay area. For me, painting is an interesting challenge but I paint only when the mood takes me and not according to any time schedule. I’m a member of the Shoalhaven Art Society and at a recent exhibition in Nowra, one of my paintings was awarded second prize. I’m encouraged to paint by my partner Shirley, who also paints, so it’s an activity we share and we’re able to bounce ideas off one another.