Artist Statement

There is nothing as gratifying as creating a painting outdoors. It can also be frustrating...and addictive. Hot, cold, windy, rainy, bugs, bees, etc. I remember in Italy taking at least 40 minutes deciding on what I wanted to paint. It was all so incredible. I was finally all set up and ready to go when a fierce wind whipped from around a corner and blew my easel into the street. I've dropped canvasses in the sand and taken home paintings with gnats embedded in the paint. I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

On a good day the colors, smells, and sounds of Mother Nature cannot help but lend magic to a painting. The artist reacts with what he sees, smells, and hears. Unlike painting from photographs, this can breathe life into a painting. The same can be said about working from a model. As they sit for you their spirit becomes an important part of the painting. Their moods, their gestures, are all important elements. You cannot get this "freshness" from a photograph. It has been a life long passion of mine to study color in nature. I have painted for many years outdoors in watercolor. For the past two years I have switched focus to oils. I am enjoying the challenges that changing mediums presents. I hope I have another 50 years left. I will surely need them, as I will always be a life long student, looking for another answer to all those many questions.