Drawing has been a passion of mine since school days. Growing up in a country town in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, there was not a lot of encouragement of art. Nevertheless, I began tracing mainly Disney cartoon characters and then progressed to copying from comics until I could reproduce many characters from memory.

I continued to draw a large variety of subjects, mainly humorous, through school and university. I studied accounting, which, I was told, was using the wrong side of the brain for an artist. However, I persisted with the artistic side and the 1970s ended up being a great time for psychedelic-style drawings. I was also attracted to caricatures and attempted many with mixed results, but I enjoyed it immensely.

With a hectic family life and accounting career, my drawing took a back seat, but I still managed the odd caricature now and then for special occasions. They were well received.

On retiring from full-time work, over 15 years ago, I was determined to resurrect my drawing passion. For a birthday I was given oil paints and brushes and it was suggested I try painting. I took up some lessons and joined a regular painting group. I found it to be a very enjoyable and rewarding pastime and it also enabled me to continue my passion for caricatures on a new level, in paint, both oils and acrylics. In 2011 I was engaged to draw monthly cartoons for a locally produced fishing magazine, based on particular themes, and this added another dimension to my art.

In my paintings, I enjoy variety by trying different styles and especially enjoy the humour I can share through caricatures. I guess variety and humour are the driving forces behind what I paint. Portraits (in a serious vein) are also a favourite. I have enjoyed displaying paintings in many exhibitions and taking on commissions, especially for caricatures.
Over several years I have joined and been an active member of three well-established art groups to mix more with like-minded people. I have learnt a lot from the groups’ many talented artists and have enjoyed being part of their exhibitions. I have also given demonstrations of how to do caricatures to these groups as well as to others.