Artist Statement

My paintings are borne in my imagination. They are more about ideas, moods, and feelings than they are about places to which they might bear resemblance. Skies--skies and their enormous, powerful clouds; the glow created by the different lights of day, early morning, and early evening; the audaciousness of storms and their magnificent cloud scapes; aw well as the subtlety of quiet dusks--are the never-ending source of my inspiration. And while my painting might begin with a glimmer of reality--a cloud formation that struck me with awe; a pink sky that panned the horizon--I create the oceans, landscapes, and trees to give my skies a point of reference.

My best paintings occur when I put my won, preconceived ideas aside and am open to the conversation takes place between the painting and myself. I yield to the painting and am open to the dialogue that always has and must take place. This, I find, is the most magical part of the process.

Painting, for me , is a way of manipulating paint and manipulating colors--of layering, of adding, of subtracting, of scumbling and sanding and glazing--and exploiting all of the infinite qualities of oil paint to take it to any level I need to employ. I work strictly in oils and use high quality linen or canvas. Influenced by the Old Masters such as Narcisse-Virgile Diaz de la Pena and their application of paint, the experience of being in a new place--a place of which I know nothing-- is interesting to me, and I linked to bring that to the work I do today.

Working Method

I paint in layers starting with an Imprimatura which consists of a color which covers the whole canvas. It is much easier to judge value correctly on a toned surface. Next I map in the largest shapes with tinned paint making sure to indicate the lightest and darkest values. When dry, I begin the painting process working from the general to the specific. This involves many layers of paint which must dry in between layers. A painting can take weeks to months to complete. Wen dry I apply a final varnish to protect the painting from scratches and dirt. I enjoy studying the craft of painting and am always open to trying new ideas. They keep the painting press stimulating and addes to the tools I can use to express my art.