Behind My Atmosphere Work

I’m drawn to atmosphere because of the feelings it can bring back. A change in light, the weight of the air before rain, or a distant horizon can return me to a place I haven’t thought about for years. Often it’s more than the view I remember. It’s the person I was when I stood there, and the life that was happening around me.

I grew up in Central Otago, then lived in Christchurch, Western Australia and Auckland. Travels through Canada and Europe have given me more places to carry with me. Each has its own light and weather, and each holds a different part of my life. Now that we spend time at our bach in Central Otago, I’m seeing familiar landscapes through changing seasons and through all the years since I first knew them.

That feeling finds its way into my paintings. I’m less interested in describing a place exactly than in capturing what lingers after you leave it—the light, the atmosphere, and the memories that rise unexpectedly when you see something familiar again.