Artist Statement

I love the magic of paint, line, and texture building a visual story on a flat surface. It begins when inspiration chooses me. It could be an aged oak, a weathered shell, the shaft of light at dusk, a fallen flower. Each portrays to me a reality described by Camille Pissaro, a French Impressionionist :

Nature is my teacher and subject. Time, weather, and other events reshape what was fresh and green. Something beautiful emerges. Each season is a chapter in nature’s story. In summer everything is green. The earth ever so slightly tilts away from the sun. Green fades. Life slows. Reds, yellows, purples bloom. Then, what was vibrant, turns brown. Etched against the cool white of the winter sun, what is left waits. Promise slumbers. A plethora of color will bloom. A fresh green will come.

My primary palette is red, yellow, blue, white , and black , the foundation of all other colors. Acrylic medium, stencils, and ephemera participate in creating a myriad of art papers purposed for layered paintings. Cut and applied, they add character and depth to the visual story. From inspiration to completion, my process celebrates a the story of humility story the seasons. The beauty does not fade, the hope does not disappoint, the goodness never ends.. My art celebrates these beautiful attributes that can be discovered in the humble places of our personal stories.

Hiking and gardening provides inspiration and subject in whatever season. Whether beach, garden or mountain,. Inevitably I find treasures . It could be a scarred clam shell, a gigantic but fallen poplar leaf, or a rock well-rounded by erosion. In my eyes, their imperfections make them beautiful. Often, hidden in the wonder of a sunset or the vastness of a mountain view, a singular humble place will catch my eye. Perhaps it is a gnarled tree or the anonymity of a farmer on his tractor in a vastness of green. Textures, shapes, and patterns from other people’s discards provide manmade ephemera for adding shape and texture to substrates.. The potential for discovering beauty is endless. Whether natural or manmade, small or large, in whatever season, beautiful things are in humble places. With the simplicity and wonder of a child we can embrace them.