Through the Strong Medicine paintings I am drawn to examine more deeply the relationship between creativity, spirituality and the natural world and have broadened my subject matter to include figurative elements placed within an abstract space, most often but not always a landscape-based environment. These are not intended to be representational; rather they work as expressive symbols.

In making these new paintings I draw upon my existing process that involves activating the surface with abstract marks that build layers, many of which will be covered up but continue to add richness and depth. I see the new figurative elements in similarly abstract terms, in that they are expressed using the same personal language of marks, colour, texture, line and form. They help establish the overall composition, structure and scale of a piece, while the spatial tensions they create provide the means by which to express the personal discoveries, feelings and sensations I aim to convey through the work.