I developed a mindset of adaptability to people’s obvious differences having grown up as part of two cultures. I became fascinated by how beauty and light could be found in the most unexpected and unusual ways. The course allowed me to develop new techniques through experimentation and the exploration of my theme, which continued to be the presence of light and beauty.

Light is a powerful presence in my work and during visits to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, the Kunsthalle in Hamburg and the Gallery of SA in Adelaide I was particularly drawn to those artists who are masters of the use of light.  I was fascinated by Van Gogh’s “Starry night over the Rhone” in the way in which he used light as the focus of the work. M. J. Turner’s “Moonlight, a study at Millbank” impressed me by the artists’ skill in the intense recreation of light to emote feelings and drama. Jackson Pollock inspired my love of using bright, bold colours with a freedom of application that suggests movement and life.

My collection seemed to evolve as I experimented with different techniques and mediums. I anticipated to make visual impacts with mediums I felt confident in and in most cases I achieved this. I experimented with unfamiliar mediums such as slow exposure photography, Photoshop, dark room photography or a combination of one of these with conventional mediums but the outcome was less predictable.

In many of my works, life, light and movement reflect the beauty that I admire in various cultures from around the world. Whether I was portraying the slums of India on an old wooden palette or the extravagant luxury of iconic wealth, I told a story of a moment in life where beauty can appear at any time or place.