The biggest challenge is balancing dedicated painting time with being present for my children. But these worlds aren't separate—evenings become times for creating ongoing stories on the couch and in bed, epic narratives with multiple characters and interweaving arcs that feed back into my visual work.
Some days, instead of painting, I homeschool Arthur (my 6-year-old) for half the day. We make things together, explore the world, adventure through the bush on fantasy quests. Their childlike creativity is godlike—they're part of everything, not separate from the work.
Accessing the Visionary Realm
Getting into the right headspace for visionary work has evolved into natural practice. Sometimes I use the Wim Hof breathing method in bed and receive visions. But really, I can pick out a vision at any time—the skill develops with practice.
When I'm really trying to "see" something specific, I'll listen to white noise. During composition and figure creation, I love music. For more mechanical work like slowly gradating a blue sky, I listen to philosophy audiobooks or podcasts. The soundscape becomes part of the consciousness exploration process.
But often, visions emerge through the painting process itself. My compositions evolve as I paint. I make new discoveries about what things could be, then create new drawings or find new references. It's an ongoing dialogue between intention and emergence.
Materials as Extensions of Consciousness
My material choices serve consciousness expansion, not just aesthetic preferences. I use oil paints because they're slow-drying and muddy—allowing me to work back into the painting, constantly processing and reprocessing. Glazing, scumbling, wiping back to develop form and highlights.
I've graduated to a simplified palette, like my name—mainly colors close to Cyan magenta yellow but in high-quality oil paint: Phthalo blue, Indian yellow, Alizarin crimson, with the addition of Titanium white. I don't use blacks and browns from tubes but mix my own. Gamblin solvents and mediums because they're least toxic, using solvents from the makeup industry.
[My palette is almost the colours of the alchemic process but black is blue.]
From this simplified palette, I can make infinite colors. It's rare that any single color goes straight from tube to canvas. I stretch my own canvases or have them stretched, prime with acrylic for a smooth, non-absorbent surface that works beautifully with my semi-transparent, high-chroma approach.
The Full Spectrum of Technique
I use every technique available—wet on wet, layers, glazing, scumbling, smudging, wiping, scraping, flicking. Each serves different aspects of consciousness expression. Sometimes I'll intentionally add discordant elements so I can find ways to integrate them later, knowing there are no real mistakes when you're working in flow.
For references, I've developed a collaged approach over many years. Now with AI, I can integrate it seamlessly into my process. My Photoshop painting skills let me quickly construct figures, then feed them through AI to generate more detailed references. I didn't know AI was coming, but the skills I built over decades perfectly suited me to integrate it as a tool.
When Time Disappears
In flow state, I feel energized and time flies by. I may forget to eat. There's a feeling that nothing can go wrong, that even apparent mistakes become opportunities for deeper integration. My definition of beauty is unified chaos—bringing order and disorder into perfect tension.
I work on multiple paintings simultaneously, allowing each to inform the others. When one needs to dry or when I need fresh eyes, I move to another. As paintings progress, I photograph them and flip the images to see them mirrored—this reveals what still needs integration until the work achieves that unified chaos I'm seeking.
The Symbolic Language That Emerges
People ask about the symbolism in my work—the mountain painted a certain way, why a horse appears here, why this figure needs a red robe. More often, these elements emerge because they feel right for the painting's development. I may not consciously know why something needs to be there, but these elements build rich symbology that viewers love exploring, letting their minds wander and find stories and meanings emerging.
This connects to my Foundation Stones writing project. When I try to illustrate it traditionally, the painting stagnates. But if I allow the painting to evolve on its own terms, it might become something tangential in that universe, which then inspires further writing. It's active imagination through paint.
Twenty Years of Evolution
My work began with observational painting, but I was always a polymathic mind that wouldn't compromise for smallness. I devoured everything—observational painting, color theory, perspective, anatomy, history, philosophy, literature, theatre, movies, museums worldwide, architecture.
Three years studying drawing, a year of digital painting, two more years of TAFE visual art, almost two years studying Rudolf Steiner's esoteric science, four years painting at VCA Melbourne.
Constructive anatomy is a lost art only taught in Disney animation schools, in Japan, or some Russian art schools—the method where artists become proficient enough to create realistic figures in any position without reference. I don't claim to have reached that stage, but striving toward it for years adds another layer to my paintings.
Integration Challenges
The biggest practical challenges remain balancing time with family and painting, and finding comfort with sharing work online. But I need to develop better documentation and sharing practices.
Writing and self-reflection help when creative blocks arise—ask and you shall receive.
I document progress with my phone, occasionally rework older paintings when they call for it. Practice makes perfect, and the more I paint, the better it gets. But I need to develop better documentation and sharing practices.
Paintings as Meaning-Generating Machines
For paintings to function as portals rather than just images, they must have bodily impact and beauty. They must be open-ended, meaning-generating machines that introduce something new—a gift of chaos that gets integrated. They must open rather than close possibilities.
This emerges naturally from the process rather than conscious planning. When working in The Magician's Castle framework, I'm communicating with the theatre of consciousness itself. The paintings become visualizations of that inner theatre where all possibilities exist.
The Continuing Journey
This practice serves something larger than individual expression. Each painting contributes to developing methods that will anchor temple-communities where consciousness expansion becomes collective reality. The process refines not just artistic skill but practical approaches for accessing expanded awareness that can be shared and taught.
Every completed work informs the next level of exploration. The goal isn't repeating successful formulas but continually pushing boundaries of what's possible when consciousness and craft unite in service of reality creation.
The studio practice continues evolving, always serving the larger vision while remaining grounded in the daily reality of family life, material constraints, and the endless joy of discovering what wants to emerge through paint.
Meet the Artist
Ready to connect with this expanding vision? Whether you're a collector seeking consciousness-transforming artworks or a fellow reality creator, I invite you to reach out and explore the possibilities.
Meet the Artist →