original contempory art

feather your nest

(12" x 72") Another fun piece themed around an old expression. Colours used are lime green, red, brown, dark purple, gold, a small amount of gold leaf also. Second photo shows how it sits in size above a queen sized bed although I have it hanging above a very large couch at the moment. The writing are the words 'feather your nest' repeated. It is one of my paintings which instantly gets a "wow" response.

Humble Me

(30" x 30") This painting, is inspired by the Nora Jones song 'Humble Me' and is a follow on from 'you humble me Lord' below. It has the words 'you humble me Lord' repeated throughout. Colours used are red, deep purple, light browns, dark brown, various shades of green. A very rich and striking painting.

you humble me Lord

(12" x 48") Inspired by the Nora Jones song 'Humble Me'. The words 'you humble me Lord' are repeated over and over. A very rich and striking painting. Colours used are red, deep purple, pale browns and dark brown. A lot of different textures in this painting and one of my favourites.

an Englishman's home is his castle (II)

(12" x 48") Winner of best abstract painting in the Virginia Mary Rotary Art Show in Paraparaumu, October 2007. This is a the second of two paintings in this style. The first had even more rudimentary houses in the background. The houses in this one came out a little more tighter in formation. A great deal of work has gone into this but I have tried as best to keep it light hearted and not overwork it. I wanted a whimsical, unpretentious painting and am very pleased with the outcome. Colours used are white, green, yellow, burnt orange, light and dark purple.

oceanic

(7 pieces - each square represents 4" x 4") Fun to be had with this piece. You can exhibit them on the wall in whatever way you feel suits the space. There are some Command 3M adhesives that stick these to the wall with a strong velcro. The velcro can be removed without damaging the wall (according to the manufacturer). Anyway, a really cool 3-d effect and I have found that guys seem to really like this one. In this picture they are sitting against a very dark blue/grey background.

crossing storm

(31" x 39") Not very often do I paint in blues but every time I look at this painting I wonder why not. The colours change a lot depending on how much light is in the room. I prefer it in a darker spot as it makes the colours more darker and moodier. The colours used are blues, greens, red, orange, white and silver (the O's inside the X's are silver leaf). There is a lot of great texturing going on here and the second picture is a close-up of some of it. I enjoy walking past this painting as the light bounces of the surface and moves as you walk past it - such an amazing painting.

fields of gold

(18" x 18") Those who know my work well, know how much I love mixing burnt orange, red and gold for the most luxurious look. With spotlighting at night time, the textured gold leaf stripe is really dazzling. Will brighten up a dark corner of a room with warmth and interest. In the evening with the right lighting, will show another dimension altogether (two paintings in one).

red cyclone I & II

(6" x 6" x 3" depth) These to me are simply exquisite. The sides are painted in contrasting red and gold and emphasize the depth even more on these unusually shaped canvas'. The gold has lines carved through it to give it the added dimension of texture. The colours are red, deep purple and gold. Gold used is paint and gold leaf - some of the gold leaf sits on top of rough hard blobs of texture and catch the light - especially at night time with artificial lighting. Really beautiful and sit well in a room that wants to feel rich and warm.

chilli with lime I & II

(6" x 6" x 3" depth) These two are just such fun pieces to have on the wall. Each bar is busy with colour and texture to contrast with the red, smooth background. Colours used are greens (including lime green), red, and purple. I have found that red and lime green colours compliment dark brown furniture as shown in this picture with dark brown leather couch.

Tranquillity 5 & 6

(6" x 6" x 3" depth) I just had to have these canvas' when I spotted them in the art shop. They stand out from the wall like a small box and are so unusual. They have been textured and painted in two different colours on their sides (red and a very deep purple) to really emphasize their unique depth. What looks like black is actually a very dark purple as I find black itself too harsh. Colours used were deep purple, red and gold.

an Englishman's house is his castle

(30" x 30") Inspired by an earlier painting called 'a reverie' and in keeping with the castle turretts theme. The colouring is identical with 'a reverie' and the two paintings pair up beautifully. People love to touch them, and like all my paintings, I have coated them very liberally with varnish for protection.

100 Squares

(16" x 48" per panel) 100 Squares took a lot of patience and hours to complete but the result is well worth the effort. The rich, colourfulness as well as the texture, all combine to make it really special and just what this space needed. It sets off the deep brown in the table and chairs and it was easy to choose a colour to accessorise for the table setting as there were so many to choose from! I never tire of looking at it.

a reverie

(30" x 30") A reverie is special to me as it was the first painting which started my new trend. It still has my trademark style of texture but there is more meaning and structure to my work now. I just love these yellow/green and mustard colours set against more neutrals. It looks fantastic in a contemporary space - see also an Englishman's house is his castle which evolved from this painting. Double click on this picture for a really good close-up look of all the detail. The name and some of the words are based around the Nora Jones song 'a reverie'. As I don't know anything about copyright, I repeated 2 sentences over and over and changed the words slightly as I wanted to use them for texture in the painting rather than her song context.