About
Simplicity. Clarity.
Artist’s Statement
I have always been interested in visual representations of the world, even when I was a young child. I studied Visual Arts all the way through school, learning drawing and painting skills to an adequate standard, as well as showing a proficiency in ceramics. In my final year of high school I began experimenting in different media; metal sculpture and photography. My Higher School Certificate (HSC) Major Work, “Port Kembla Steelworks: A Complete Study” was selected for the Art Express Exhibition, a selection of the best HSC works in New South Wales. The photographic and steel sculptural work toured NSW in the year 2000.
After High School I decided I wanted to create art for a living and began a Bachelor of Art Education Degree with a Major in Photomedia at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW. I began using digital photography as my primary medium as it allowed for me to quickly capture the things I saw around me and produce imagery easily using software on my computer at home. At university I grew to appreciate the subtler elements of conceptual development in art and many of my student works contained multiple levels of cultural reference. My work strongly referenced the digital world I found myself in as well as my experiences of young adulthood. My Final Year Photomedia work “Catharsis”, displayed in the ‘Final Clearance’ exhibition at the College of Fine Arts, explored the effects of computer gaming on an individual through the medium of digital video.
I completed my Degree in 2004 and began teaching Visual Arts and Photography at a secondary school, William Clarke College. This has allowed me to financially support my wife as she too studies Fine Arts, as well as allowing me freedom to pursue my own art making intentions. Teaching has provided me with many opportunities to do professional development in a range of media. It has challenged and refined my technical skills, particularly in Photography as I have had to teach cutting edge skills to this new generation of visually literate and computer savvy youth.
As always, my current work is influenced by the world I see around me, the Australian culture I am immersed in, nature and its beauty, as well as my recent appreciation for the human form and portraiture. One of my strongest concerns is mankind’s impact on the environment and many of my artworks represent beauty in manmade structures being reclaimed by nature. I love to photograph urban decay, cityscapes and humanity’s relics.
I exhibit my work predominantly online where I can upload and display a large number of images quickly after producing them. I enter competitions regularly and was shortlisted recently for the 2009 Head On exhibition at the Australian Centre for Photography for the entry “Lunge”. This image was displayed digitally in the ACP’s gallery space as well as the Obscura Gallery in Melbourne.
My style has developed over the course of my life into what I call ‘Simplicity. Clarity’. I aim to capture beautiful and intriguing subjects in a wide scope of genres including people, landscapes, architecture and macro photography. I focus on obtaining clear and simply composed images which draw out the unique details of my subjects. I do not manipulate many of my images and consider myself a more purist photographer. I like to represent the truth of what I see.
Artists who influence me are numerous to say the least and are from a wide range of movements and use many different media. Here are some of my larger influences.
Max Dupain, David Moore, James Nachtwey, Man Ray, Bill Henson, Albert Watson, Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams, Salvador Dali and Joseph Mallord William Turner
In the future, I aspire to become a photojournalist documenting natural wonders, social and environmental issues and to have my work displayed in the media and galleries around the world. I want people to gain respect the world we live in and all the elements that make up its complex ecosystem. I hope my work can challenge people in that direction.
I have a Bachelor of Art Education degree with a Photomedia Major (College of Fine Arts UNSW) and I teach High School Visual Arts and Photography, Video and Digital Imaging at William Clarke College.
I use Canon digital cameras and the Adobe Creative Suite to edit my works.
My Gear
Canon 5D Mark II, EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM, EF 50mm f1.4 USM, EF 24-105mm f4 IS USM & EF 16-35mm f2.8 USM II, 580EXII Flash, Gary Fong Lightsphere Pro Kit.
Acclaim
Shortlisted for 2009 Head On Portrait Competition Lunge
Emerge 2007