Ross studied Fine Art at Hochschule Essen and at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in Germany, and has been painting and drawing for more than three decades. Ross has also studied the philosophy of Zen Buddhism for many years, and this is revealed in his art — both in the subject matter and in its execution. Painting is something of a meditative process for the artist.

Ross is fascinated by patterns in nature, such as the spiral forms of shells, leaves, butterfly wings, and plant cells. As he tries to interpret the natural ‘lines and curves’ found in nature, he is also exploring how the tones and hues of colour are affected by the mark-making. As we learn more about the laws of natural science through advancing technologies of astronomy, microscopy, and time-lapse photography, it becomes clear that similar patterns of structure and energy occur in the cosmos and in our own world. For those studying Eastern philosophies, there is a familiarity with the idea that everything exists in a continuously dynamic relationship and that there are principles underlying the natural flows of Nature. In essence, this is what Ross is trying to convey a sense of in his work.