Hometown: Maitland, NSW

2016 entry: Festival of Pets 2016

Artwork type: Oil on canvas, artist collection

About: Festival of Pets depicts a group of children being handed a variety of small animals to nurse in a temporary fenced enclosure. It is based on a real event I watched at The North Shore Children’s Festival in 2015. The idea of Festival of Pets (also known as a petting zoo) is to teach children about kindness, gentleness and respect for other living things. In choosing this subject, I have tried not to make it in any way sentimental or cute.

1. Have you entered the Kilgour before? If so, what was the work and the result?

This is my fifth time as a finalist in the Kilgour Prize at Newcastle Art Gallery. Some of my previous entries have been large scale paintings of Newcastle’s Horseshoe Beach or better known as The Dog Beach. It was one of these paintings that won The People’s Choice Award in 1998.

2. Is this piece for sale and if so, at what price?

The work is for sale and the price is available on request.

3. What is your preferred/favourite style of painting/making art and why?

I like working on large scale oil paintings in my studio. I usually start a new painting without a real plan. I like the process of making big compositional changes whilst painting- mainly to keep on surprising myself and to keep the painting fresh.

4. Who has been the most influential person in your art career and why?

There has not really one person who has influenced me - there have been a lot of people and artists over the years. However, when I was a young art student, the Sydney pop artist Martin Sharp was a real inspiration. 

5. What advice would you give to a person considering a career in art?

A career can take a long to develop and to start a career, you need some fundamental techniques and understanding. My advice would be to study at an art school and learn as much as possible. From there, you can start to develop your own individual style and way of thinking.