About My Work
I am a multidisciplinary artist working across oil painting, printmaking, and digital media. My practice is guided by a narrative sensibility inspired by my passion for filmmaking and writing. Each piece invites the viewer into a world balancing the imagined and the observed.
Through intuitive mark-making, gestural brushwork, and a deliberately expressionistic palette, I leave visible the layers, edits, and choices embedded in the making of each work. I aim to preserve the tension between clarity and rawness through the contrast of high-fidelity detail and broad, simplified forms. This becomes a visual rhythm that guides the eye and engages the viewer with the story of the work's creation.
Recurring motifs in my art include ambiguous pathways and spaces that evoke a sense of curiosity. These environments act as portals, inviting exploration while remaining just out of reach. They are less about representing specific places than about capturing the feeling of standing on the threshold of discovery.
In all my work, I am interested in how imperfection, shape, and story coalesce to create images that are both personal and open-ended, encouraging viewers not only to look but to wander.
WANT MORE ART?
My full collection of one-off paintings or limited edition prints are available to view and buy at Bluethumb.com. Worldwide shipping is available! Check out a small selection of works below.
Myponga Reservoir (2nd State), Etching
My largest etching to date, this depicts a pine tree overlooking the water at the Myponga Reservoir walking trail in (you guessed it) Myponga, South of Adelaide. The first edition was made as a one-off gift and did not utilise much plate tone or aquatint. This second state, which comes in an edition of 8, is more brooding and atmospheric. I have experimented more with aquatinting the shadows and reflections on the water.
All my etchings and paintings are available online at my store on Bluethumb.com
The Line, Castle rock, oil painting
This oil painting depicts a strangely straight line of sandstone that leads to a gnarled tree at a place called Castle Rock, just outside the town of Melrose in the Flinders Ranges.
This painting was featured in the touring exhibition 'Relative Viewpoints' - an exhibition of paintings and prints depicting the Flinders Ranges as seen by myself and my father, John Martin.
Rock Climber, ETCHING
Recently I have been enjoying photography that utilises cyanotype or other similar exposure methods which create a unique tinted and faded effect which I find very atmospheric and calming. I wanted to see if I could replicate this feeling in an etching by experimenting with coloured inks. This gangly tree which I found growing out of a rocky outcrop in the Flinders Ranges was the perfect subject, and the colour gives it a nice evening light quality (which is good because that's when I came across this scene with my camera).
Another bit of experimentation on this piece is the use of the sugar-lift technique to depict the rocks and pebbles of the slope in the foreground. This is a technique I've never tried before and I have to admit it took quite a few attempts before I got it right. In the end I'm extremely happy with how it turned out!
All my etchings and paintings are available online at my store on Bluethumb.com
Crest, Etching
This gnarled tree was a short walk from a camping site in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. I love the flowing silhouette of the branches against the sky, as well as the texture of the rocky slope.
It was a pleasure to recreate (and exaggerate) the detail with the finest needle I could find, and to play with a style that almost approaches Art Nouveau - something I'm interested to explore further.