For me it was, in the beginning, photography that captured my creative spirit.  At first, amazed with the seemingly infinite range of grey tones, I set out to make pictures of the pockets of nature I could find in my home town of Toronto.

Later, while at the Western Academy of Photography on Vancouver Island,  Velvia exploded into my life and allowed me to explore the magnificent greens and blues of my surroundings.  

After a decade of a robust and rewarding career in photography I realized I was unable to capture on film my emotion during an event or moment in time.  Yes the photograph elicits emotion from the observer, but I could not successfully convey what I felt.  For me abstract photography left me too far removed from the process.  The camera was my tool to explore what I could physically see and make others see. 

Painting affords me the opportunity to express directly onto my artwork without the interference of technology.  Color and texture replace subject and location.  Layers  are built into my work in ways the camera would not allow. I can show glimpses of the back story. I can tell the whole story