Artist Statement
The beauty and intrigue of the landscape has captured my attention as an artist for years. The emotion triggered by a special sighting brings a strong reaction and a compelling desire to get that feeling down on canvas. Once the image has burned into my brain, I start the 1st painting of the series. All paintings in the series are washed in and then ready to be enriched by many layers of paint building a tight pulse of color relationships to heighten the physiological response to each painting. I rely upon memory as the foundation for each series, never any sketches and maybe a glance at some snapshots in the preliminary phase.
I gravitated to the Southwest inspired by its magnificent land and sky. My imagery shifted from the figurative to the landscape but the figure still lurks within. A dance or conversation between the clouds, grasses and trees. Suggestions of inhabitants, some kind of connection as I continue to explore ways of creating an “other world” sense of place.