As a child in post-war England, I combined wood, glass, paint and anything at hand to make tree houses, curious assemblages of strange flying objects and blown glass animals.

Presently as a studio-based artist in California, my wood art forms have been the main medium over the years but with an increasing use of illuminated jewel-like glass components that give a mysterious luminosity to the forms.

This effect of luminosity through the surface eventually led me back to glass painting, a technique I last used and exhibited in a 1958 group show in London. Back then I wanted to become a painter but there was another interesting career waiting in Mexico.

Taking up painting again was a leap off the lily pad into an old wish now fulfilled.

It provides relief from restlessness. It gives me a way to study anew, how the effect of light can dominate form and that form is implied. It is a medium that responds to my impulsive working methods.

My work is not about everyday observation. I borrow ideas freely from a diversity of civilizations, some inspired from legendary places, and others lost but which live on in our minds. At times I am also a sedentary traveler and draw my inspiration from photographs, film or a yearning for distant places. Some of paintings may seem amorphous at first sight but the titles suggest landscapes or microscopic particles. I prefer the interpretation to be left open.

to the left
Football Player photo. The inspiration for the cabinet

to the right
concept drawing

to the right

"Woods" 2003
24" & 27" high
Contains some wood from Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond and cocobolo from Mexico.
Permanent collection, Long Beach Museum of Art, California. www.lbma.org
Acquisition completed in 2006

above
"Small City, Hidden Drawers" 2006
19.5"x18.5"x10.5" Made of many woods & hidden drawers.
for: Show US Your Drawers Exhibition
The exhibitions will open at the Furniture Society's tenth annual conference on June 7, 2006, at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, IN, after which plans include travel to additional venues.
www.furnituresociety.org/frames/fexhibit/home.shtml

to the right
"Metropolis" 2006
73.5" x 31" x 19" Tall sculptural construction with drawers and built-in lights. A donation for Venice Art Walk & Auction, May 20-21, 2006
Founded in 1970, Venice Family Clinic in California is the largest free medical clinic in the USA. Thanks to the help of more than 200 volunteers and donors, the clinic provides high-quality, comprehensive medical care at seven locations to over 21,000 low-income and uninsured children and adults who have nowhere else to turn for their medical care.
www.veniceartwalk.org