Duck Decoy and Lupins Oil on panel

  Objects on a Table   Oil on canvas

Lilacs in May
Oil on canvas

Narcissus
Oil on canvas

Ashland Garden
Oil on linen

The impetus for painting for me is to translate what is seen and felt into an image. I see painting as a means to understanding and interpreting the world. It presents a way to interject a kind of clarity and order upon the chaos of contemporary life. Painting is the reason to stand still and to look for many hours, to contemplate, and to work with a sense of urgency and intensity as the light fluctuates and changes.

My paintings are based on direct observations of the view at hand, which are often simply the view out my window, and sometimes a site that I visit. I feel a strong connection to my subjects, which are in many ways autobiographical. These are places that have meaning for me-particular locations, gardens, and views from my windows.

I love painting and its history and feel I am a part of that continuum. I approach painting in a way that acknowledges the formal and abstract issues that concerned painting throughout the 20th century. When a choice must be made about the placement of form, the use of color, or the physical and sensual qualities of paint, the needs of the painting take precedence over accurate depiction. The guiding force, however, is essentially that which is observed. I hope to evoke some truths about these places and to offer the viewer a new way of seeing.