I work part time at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, Dorset, South West UK. I have an HNC in fine art. I draw inspiration for my art from gardens, especially where I work. I am mainly concerned with the different layers in nature as well as in society. Things are not always as they appear to be - gardens are a controlled, unnatural environment, where plants from all over the world are expected to get along.
People are put into situations where they are expected to be compatable too. We are all governed by our Belief Systems, which form our perception of the world around us. What appears safe and familiar to some people will have an adverse effect on others. Some plants appear to be really attractive, but may be deadly poisonous, at the same time they may be useful in small doses (as in the common plant, foxglove - digitalis, a lifesaving heart medicine). We are always faced with choices, and the decisions we make affect our whole lives.
Abstract paintings may appear to be 'anything'. When the artist is able to convey some feeling of the time, space, object or scene which he or she has originally absracted from, then he has succeeded in getting a metaphoric message to you in his work. I have chosen, at the moment, to use a combined figurative and abstract approach to my paintings. Building up layers by using silk screen printing, painting or graphics software on the computer to produce an abstract image which still contains a figurative element - although the image may no longer appear to be what it was originally.
