I am a representational painter that paints both people and animals.  I work with acrylic and oil paints, primarily working on wood panels. I really enjoy letting the wood grain show through the piece. I add numerous layers to each item to give it texture. Layers enable all the different mixed colours to be seen when using a limited palette. I also use different tools for mark making in order to draw the viewers eye throughout the piece.  For the viewer, my backgrounds are a part of the story. Sometimes the backgrounds serve a purpose in the art, and other times they are simply a byproduct of the process.  They can be abstract, descriptive, or geometric patterns.