Artist's Statement

I am an expressive realist: constantly evolving and developing new sensitivity toward my surroundings. As I paint I take great satisfaction in being close to the land while soaking up the light and the atmosphere. Most of my work is started on-site and finished with the aid of photographs and field sketches in the studio. I give credit to Nature for composing beautiful landscapes. My sensibilities are revealed in the parts of a landscape that I choose to paint. When I experience a powerful section of a landscape I try to capture the spirit of the place in a way that invites the viewer in and asks that they stay a while as a retreat from their present circumstances. Painting in various locations -- Canada, the Northeast, the Southwest, and Europe -- has helped develop the intense connection I seek with my subject matter. Observations, combined with my own interpretation of atmosphere, color, and shapes instruct the direction that my paintings move in.