Growing up in a rural town, with freedom to roam open fields and deep woods has impacted what matters to me as an artist.    This work is about what lives within and depends upon the landscape. My paintings express a passion and concern for nature,    it’s power, beauty and fragility. Animals, birds, ponds and meadows are part of my visual landscape. From the macro to the micro, I look for novelty in that which appears common. I frequently walk in my rural neighborhood and in the woods seeking inspiration.  It could be it a rolling field, dramatic clouds, a grazing cow or a bounty of botanicals that speak to me as a painter. I extract these images with camera and/or sketch and interpret them onto canvas.  What I paint reflects a part of the big picture, pieces that are connected and are in a symbiotic relationship. The resulting work addresses the spiritual potency of nature and celebrates the beauty and mystery of the precious world in which we live.

The process of painting is a a two dimensional vocabulary that gives foundation for pause and reflection. It is an exploration to see what will evolve onto the canvas. My process is a blend of realism with loosely applied paint marrying a contrast of styles. There is a series of layering, color over color with palette knife to create luminosity and surface. From there I introduce images and build the picture. Not everything is planned, though I start my idea with a solid sketch. From here I create a picture that is composed of different elements. It becomes a picture based on reality and imagination.