There’s nothing quite as exciting as making the invisible, visible.

I’m an Australian contemporary abstract expressionist artist and photographer based in Hobart, Tasmania, where I create from my studio, affectionately known as The Sandbox (where I go to play), under the name Capra7ArtStudio.

My creative journey began long before I thought of myself as an artist. As a child, drawing was simply how I made sense of the world. I filled pages with sketches inspired by Disney characters before discovering the wonderfully eccentric world of Mad magazine, whose expressive illustrations opened my imagination to new possibilities.

Eventually my bedroom walls became a gallery of drawings, each one another step towards a lifelong creative practice.

Around the age of ten my curiosity expanded beyond the page. Nature became my greatest teacher. Forests, rivers, mountains, birds, insects and changing seasons revealed endless colours, patterns, rhythms and textures.

At twelve my father introduced me to photography and the magic of the darkroom. Watching an image slowly emerge in the developing tray felt nothing short of extraordinary.

Photography taught me patience, composition, light and, most importantly, how to truly observe.

Although having studied at the City Art Institute (1984) gaining a Bachelor of Visual Arts (majoring in fine art and photography), my greatest education has come through curiosity and experimentation. At times I feel as if alchemy also play a role in the completion of some of my artworks.

My aim when working on a theme or series is to allow my subconscious mind to express itself freely in abstract form, unhindered by conscious thought. The actual critical decision-making phase occurs later.

Painting intuitively and deliberately making an effort to block out pure rational thought is what inspires and stimulates my imagination.

“True intuition I believe encompasses the capacity to also be very observant”.

Dare I add that intuition is sort of like the patron saint of art.

Finding balance/harmony in shapes, lines, forms, scratching and scraping (mark-making) is exciting, but knowing through this process (discovering) my identity is what gives me the most joy while painting.

Music and poetry are constant companions in my studio. Instrumental composers, improvisational jazz and the poetry of Charles Baudelaire all encourage me to embrace uncertainty and trust instinct over explanation.

The goal is to blur the lines that divide words, music, art, photography, and instead, create a beautiful fusion where all four meet together or individually.

Living and working in Australia and Canada has broadened both my artistic practice and my understanding of creativity. Along the way I have exhibited my work, taught art, completed commissions and managed a public gallery for ten years in Kimberley, British Columbia. Those experiences reinforced a simple belief that art is ultimately about connection.

I am often asked what my paintings represent. Perhaps they are less about answers than they are about possibilities. Like music without words or poetry without explanation, each work waits for its own interpretation.

Once it leaves my hands, it belongs to every eye that meets it, changing with each encounter. I hope my paintings offer a place to breathe, to wonder and to find echoes of your own experience hidden within colour, texture and gesture.

My practice is guided by curiosity, where chance is welcomed and trusting intuition, embracing happy accidents and letting each work become what it is meant to be.