In my paintings I engage the viewer in the landscapes, psychologically involving them in scenes which seem frozen, silent, yet with the anticipation of unknown events to come. The paintings are timeless, with no figures or modern buildings shown to give guidance as to the date of the scene. They also feature unusual viewpoints - looking out from the middle of a lake, or gazing upwards through trees, to highlight the isolation and the oddness of the scenes.
My paintings from the last 2 years have depicted isolated areas of rural Finland, near Lapland, and more recently, follwing an artist's residency in 2008, scenes of Iceland. I also use a degree of imagination and memory to work my paintings and give the effect that I am seeking.
I am influenced by the 19th century Romantic painters, Caspar David Friedrich and Arkhip Kuindzhi, and also the contemporary painters Peter Doig and Elizabeth Magill.
