STATEMENT

 

My artwork has a decidedly peripatetic quality to it because no matter where I go paintings emerge from every journey. Each painting begins because of the way light falls on a particular scene. Further inspiration comes from the history, colors and textures of a place; how the day feels - as in temperature, wind or calm, sun or storm. My paintings of the sea are meant to be meditative and reflect the time I spend near or on the water. Cities are energizing so my urban work reflects that energy and I clearly have a real passion for European cities with all their angles and colors. My first love has always been landscape and I feel at home in dense woods or open fields.

I use every tool and technique I've learned to fit what the painting and subject require. Some pieces need a soft, smooth approach while others demand boldness and texture. Drawing is hugely important to me so my process is always to begin with a sketch often surrounded by narrative and notes about color or as a watercolor, then moves to canvas. However, works on paper frequently have a finished beauty all their own so there are many times when the watercolor ends up being complete in itself instead of being a sketch for a future painting. I tend to work serially doing runs of paintings on a particular theme, spinning out an idea often returning to favorite themes.