Like most artists, I find inspiration by taking in the world around me.
My inspiration mostly comes from nature and natural environments. However, the juxtaposition of an urban environment and human impact on nature is also striking. Whether it is a breathtaking vista or nature's intricate detail, I appreciate and absorb all of it.
Exploring color, texture, contrasts, and composition, I use various materials and techniques to achieve my goals. My work incorporates emotion and energy through remembered and imagined experiences.
I often ask myself how this scene (texture, vista, vignette) makes me feel. What colors and composition will most effectively tell the story? I’m often asked how I know when I’m finished. A finished painting is a work where I feel at peace with the outcome. When that happens, I know I am ready to move on.
My Process:
I start my process in a state of exploration and discovery. Sometimes, it’s a photo or series of photos I’ve taken. Sometimes, it’s a texture, an object, or a memory. Sometimes, it's a concept or technique I want to explore. Whatever the impetus for a painting, it begins with curiosity.
When I finally sit down to take on a larger piece of work, I like to start journaling, asking questions, and sketching to develop my thoughts and feelings further. I use color to help set the underlying tone of the piece, selecting a limited color palette. Next, I progress to expressive, energetic, often chaotic marks. Then, after careful consideration, I like to find the familiar, the moments of peace and beauty in what is in front of me, constantly moving back and forth, reacting and responding to each successive mark or contrast or blend of color, whether it is a surprise or deliberate until there is a balance and the story is laid out in front of me at its natural end.