Artist Statement

 

Much of my inspiration comes from visiting wilderness areas from barrier islands and waterways of the low country coastal environment to the eastern mountains and high plains of the southwest.

These untamed landscapes provide a wonderful backdrop to study light, shadow and reflection. I have a deep affinity to those places requiring just a little extra effort to find and then capturing the wildness and splendor in my paintings. My compositions highlight natural edges, nodes, and visual pathways. I want to challenge the viewer to wonder what lies around the corner, down the path, through the bramble and to hear the surf and rustle of leaves from seaward breezes or the gently lap of a wave as boat travels by. My wildscapes are interwoven with the tracery of gently swaying palmetto frond and their shadows as light bounces thru the understory below. A wayward branch becomes a punctuation mark on a seemingly tame path or a wild flower becomes a not so still close up of light and shadow.


In contrast to my wildscapes, I am also drawn to architectural facades and interiors, some with figurative placement that evokes the viewer to question what lies beyond the presented view, around the corner, or through the door. My style is an emboldened and evolving painterly style, evoking a dance of light thru shadows and reflection, using full brush strokes and layered color to move the eye through the painting. Paintings begin as a play of softened unfettered geometry and kaleidoscope mirrors of color and light repeating patterns found in both our natural and manmade worlds. My artistic talent and eye for appreciating the splendors of this world is truly a gift for which I am blessed beyond measure.