Is there a colour you just can't bring yourself to use?

I actually do have trouble with blue and green together, I think I naturally resonate with Autumn colours, earthy and natural tones. Of course blue and green are a part of that and work very well into it - But for me to just use only blue and green is quite difficult at this stage. Perhaps that will change in time. And I do force myself to experiment anyway.

You have painted landmark buildings near your studio, is there any other suburb or building in Australia you'd like to paint?

I will paint the obvious Sydney landmarks one day, with some desire to go to Canberra as well and discover the treasures we have down there - I think few people in the general population have an understanding of the amazing Art Deco designs and buildings we have. I do look forward to seeing them first hand.

Were you nervous about displaying your first painting?

Well, there was no first painting, that is like asking an artist when did they start to paint. If you are an artist - you just are, everything you see, hear, breathe, taste and experience in one way or another becomes a part of you. Then anything you do is an expression of those experiences. So when I first had a piece of my art on diplay is really an impossible memory to recall simply because there was no actual beginning, it just always was.

There are music videos of you on Youtube, what "other life" is that?

As an artist I experiement in mediums at different times and seasons, there was a time when music was a priority for me, but everything happens in parrallell. Music has never existed without visual art and vis versa.So it really isn't another life, but more another expression of the same person.

Is there a favourite commission painting you've done?

It would be unfair for me to publically nominate a work I have done as my favourite, but I can say that rewarding peices are those which I have been given the trust and mandate from the client to create something with only a few words or ideas from them.

What sort of people buy your paintings- other than those with good taste?

I think that people are dicovering art every day, no matter what age, at some point we all look at an image and it moves us. Some people have more money to afford these luxuries, so therefore people who buy art genereally have a more flexible income for induglance.

You use alot of texture on your canvas' - have you ever gone overboard?

I do like texture and the amount I use varies from peice to piece, I have no set agenda. But I do like it.

Do you plan a time to paint or is it a random activity?

This is a good question, mainly becuase most of society lives in an 8-5 programme. With art it is very much a mood to be in, you cannot force it to happen, and yes, there are always several peices on the go at one time. I do come and go to peices some incomplete for months, some for only days. But there is a general practice of painting most days and a canvas is usually drying somewhere.

What are the most inspiring elements in your life?

Well that is a question that relates back to your eyes being open, ears to hear, fingers to touch and so forth. Everything and anything prompts imagination. And it is usually a surprise at the time, for example, a persons words, light falling across glass, wind in the sky, the mark left by a heavy object, the scent of a vine on a fence. It is anything and everything from my own life. This is why I paint what I paint - because it is me. I do not copy other people's art - because that is not my experience , so how can I truly understand it and represent it.

Is there any relationship between your paintings and your headspace at the time?

Always. How can it not be. Only if you are copying art can you put your head somewhere else.

You started out a country boy.... do your rural roots have any bearing on your work?

Alas Toowoomba is not entirley country, although I did spend my early years do things we would never do now. Like riding a bike to school at the age of 7. Fresh Toowoomba air and chicken farms, cows and starry nights are all things that can no longer be experiences in the street I grew up in. I have journed up and down the easter cost and Tasmania, as far west as Yowah. I have lived amongst the 12 Apostle's on the Great Ocean Road and I do bring all these things to my brush.

If someone asked you to use food as a subject or inspiration, what would you paint?

I have painted a coffee cup, for a friend, but I usually avoid painting "THINGS". That is why I do abstract, if you want a "THING" take a photo. Everyone has one and everyone is a photographer these days. You dont need me to paint the obvious.

What traits do you find most annoying in people (if any)?

Well everyone can be annoying, I actually pity people who get caught up in the small details. There is simply not enough time to achieve anything if you are unbalanced. There is a time and a place for everything. But there is no time or place to be anal all the time.

What traits do you find the most inspiring in people?

I am most impressed by people who are giving of thier time and wisdom.

If it landed in your bank account, what would you do with 10 million dollars?

I would continue to do what I am doing, but I would be able to reward those I work with and care about in a more tangible manner.

What has been the most unusual request?

I haven't really had any of those, but perhaps that is because I use the interenet and NOTHING surpirses me about human behaviour any more.

Do any other painters inspire you, depress you or do nothing for you?

I do actually love Luigi Lior, a French painter. And when I have that $10 million your talking about giving me - I will buy all his work. LOL

Is there a particular technique, style or subject that you would like to master?

NO, I am not abosessive like that - I have friends like that and have worked with lots of people like that. I am not interested in the planets lining up for me. It is what it is and it gets better with age, but I am not sitting around killing myself over it. Life is too short.

What should people consider before buying a painting, any painting?

There is a lot of advise about what you could buy, and if you are only interested in making money then listen to them. But I would only buy art if it moves me. Why buy something you dont even like? You could be dead next week, and what good will it do you if its worth twice as much in 2 years, so what? Does it move you?

How long do the physical materials last.... will a painting fall apart or disintergrate after a certain period of time?

If you read about archival art and how it is to be looked after you will need to live for 500 years before you can thank yourself for being so smart. I would prefer to tell my collectors that it will fall apart and fade and one day turn to dust, that way they have a realistic expecation of the real world we live in. My art is already stressed, tortured, scratched, faded, damaged and so forth. If it falls apart a little - EVEN BETTER! becuase you will, so why not your art along with you.

Do you work with music in the background, silence or the sounds of life going on around you?

It varies a lot, I certainly dont listen to commercial radio though.

Who do you think is the sexiest person in the world?

I have no way of knowing

Have you ever considered a gallery of your own? Where? why/why not?

Yes, one day. When I can afford my own space.

Is buying a painting the best compliment a person can pay you?

NO, buying 2 is better. LOL

Other than the buildings around you... does inner city living inspire provide any other inspiration/motivation for you?

Of course it does, but then everything is a source of inspiration, good or bad.

Where has your best support come from on your painting journey?

Firstly you have to believe and invest in yourself before anyone else will. And sadly that is where a lot of people jus dont get it. I don't have a cheerleader with me while I paint, it is very lonley and often difficult to be motivated to paint.

Do you have to wash up a ton of brushes and palates after you're done?

I don't really like washing brushes but it is a neccesary evil, becuase the paint can smell quite ferral if left wet.

With the economic crisis, has the price of raw materials gone up for you?

The price of everything goes up all the time becuase everyone is riding this wave of greed called capitalism.

Who needs art?

Everyone has it - they just dont know it. They don't have to need it, it just is.