Artist's Statement

Artist's Statement

Western America’s mystique, heritage and beauty are vast themes to challenge artists of today. The themes, at first glance, may seem as vast as the country itself. As an artist, I want to capture these visual messages and interpret them in a way that the viewer will see the environment more vividly and know that we must preserve its beauty and natural rhythms.

Flowers, landscapes, wildlife, horses, ranches and farmlands are recurring subjects in my paintings. In recent decades there is a renewed appreciation and partnership between people and the environment. The draft horse teams are again being used for logging and large ranch feeding operations, displacing the "new technology" which is much less friendly for preserving the environment. Capturing these type relationships is a story I love to tell, and retell.

My most satisfying results come from immersing myself in the subject that I paint. In a sense, "becoming" the subject. I always come away from the experience feeling as though I’ve been somewhere else.

I interpret the colors and light using traditional glazing techniques . The light as it plays on the subjects and their environment is the real inspiration.