I was born in Marrakech, Morocco, in 1952. My interest in painting was first formed in my own Berber Culture. It was influenced and developed during my studies at the Ecole Superieure Des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1972 to 1976.

I came to Western Australia in 1976 and was able to establish an immediate intimacy with the local landscapes because they brought back memories of Morocco.  For me, any sense or understanding of the landscape can only come from the landscape itself and such understanding can best be developed in consultation with Aborigines.

Painting for me is like an addiction, I need to create to function normally as a person so I need to paint not just to fulfil my sense of place but also my sense of balance. I normally paint for myself but subconsciously my work connects with people (collectors/buyers)   because we share the same emotions and feelings for the landscape. I always think and believe my images open windows in people’s walls, images they can reflect on emotionally when they need to. This connection between my collectors and me develops a sense of familiarity, a kind of friendship because they acquire a part of me.

I have an affinity with the Kimberley landscape because it is still pristine, it has not been affected by man. It has the purity and the beauty of a natural state. The same characteristics an artist is trying to achieve with his work. Landscapes which are affected by man are usually genetically modified for me, e.g.  National parks.

I always believe that creating a work of art is a scientific process – when I start a painting I have a blank space of white canvas. With the first mark I draw on the white canvas I create a problem for myself so I have to find a solution and that is when the process of creativity really starts – using different ingredients and techniques (colour, texture, form, washes, impasto etc.) to solve the problem.  When the problem is solved the painting is finished, then I move onto the next work. I believe that each of the paintings I have been creating for the last 35 years are like the pages of a book and that the book one day will be the story of my life.

My work is not limited to landscape; my expressionist and colourist techniques extend to other genres, like the still-life and the nude.

I have travelled extensively through many of the remote areas of Australia, studying and painting the landscape.  In 1981 I travelled to Broome to produce artworks for Reading the Country and Gularabulu. Between 1986 -1990, I lived in the Purnululu – Bungle Bungle National Park region, in order to gain a closer understanding of the landscape within this area.

My works are represented in the Holmes à Court Collection, SGIO, Sir Charles Gardner Hospital Collection, the Fremantle Council Art Collection and in private collections in France, Morocco, England, United States of America and Australia.

I have lived in Broome, in Western Australia for the past 40 years.