ARTIST STATEMENT

     I paint to express my passion for two seemingly diverse subjects -- the natural landscape and the urban city. Each provides me with an unending source of ideas and inspiration.

      I may start a painting with an image in mind or be sparked by a photo I've taken. Each of my paintings contains memory and imagination. Whether I'm painting a quiet landscape or a busy city street, I focus on the interplay of organic shapes to their surroundings and invent color to create a mood.

      I often use paint straight from the tube and mix colors directly on the paper or canvas. This allows me to paint over areas to further simplify shape and to explore color.

      I paint to interpret, not to copy the twisted tree trunk or the moving figure. In some paintings I'm inspired to create a sense of the familiar. I want the viewer to feel the quietude of early evening or the presence of the street. In other paintings a mood of drama or mystery is my true intent. The day is ending but not yet finished. To interpret this image is to share my inspiration.