Through the Looking Glass
From the Beginning
Photography has been a big part of my life since I first learned the fundamentals on the job, working as a staff reporter in Thailand in the 1990s. A twist of fate, and a new title as Style Editor, led me to collaborate with the brilliant (and always hilarious) photographer John McDermott. Together we filled eight pages in a glossy magazine each month with fashion and lifestyle photo essays. We did it all: sourcing models, scouting locations, setting up shoots in studio and on the chaotic streets of Bangkok. It was an intense, hands-on education in light, composition, storytelling, and the magic of film.
When I moved to Vancouver a few years later, I brought my camera, and everything John had taught me, and not much else in my suitcase.
Photography remains my first love, and I've been lucky to weave it into both my career and my art. For over a decade, I've documented large-scale construction projects, capturing the intersection of industry and human effort. At the same time, I've built an ever-growing archive of Vancouver, a city that first captured my imagination as a teenager from Montreal stumbling into the West Coast wonderland of Expo 86. I've never lost my awe at living in a place where mountains, ocean, and forest are all at my doorstep. I return to favourite spots like Jericho Beach and Pacific Spirit Park again and again, photographing their shifting moods.
The Inspiration
Years of obsessing over the perfect font, the right line weight, the exact shade of a colour as a graphic designer has deeply shaped my work. I see the world through a designer's lens, where bold colours, strong shapes, and dynamic contrasts create balance and movement. Even when inspired by real-world scenes, my work embraces perspective and structure to create a modern, almost abstract aesthetic.
Of the thousands of images I've taken, very few become the foundation for my paintings. The ones that stay with me, the ones I can't let go of, share a common thread. They reveal how we intersect with the natural world. I find inspiration in these unlikely convergences, where nature meets industry and solitude meets connection. These moments of quiet tension and unexpected beauty are where my paintings begin.
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![A harbor scene with mountains in the background, a large red cargo ship in the water, and two people sitting on the shore, one with a dog, on a sandy beach with patches of seaweed.]()
From Photography
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![Painterly style image of a large ship on the water, with two people and a dog sitting on a nearby shore or pier, and a cloudy sky above.]()
to Mixed-Media
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![An abstract painting of a boat on water with two people and a dog sitting on the grass, with a clear blue sky in the background.]()
to Acrylic
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![A modern dining room with a wooden table and six white chairs, decorated with a white vase and small object, and a framed abstract landscape painting of a seascape with blue, green, and red horizontal bands on a white wall.]()
and on to Home!
The Process
My process moves through three phases, and each one is complete in its own right.
It begins with photography. Walking, observing, waiting for the moment that asks to be captured. The ones that make it further share something I can't always name but always recognise.
The second phase is digital. I work the image through layers of painting and mixed media, refining colour, atmosphere, and composition until it becomes a fully realised artwork. Some pieces stop here. Others are just getting started.
The final phase is paint. The digital work becomes a contemporary underpainting, a foundation and a guide, and the painting takes over from there. Texture, depth, and the unpredictability of a brush on canvas bring something the screen never quite can.
Inside the Art Room
Every medium has its own demands and its own rewards. Click to go deeper.
