From my earliest memory, I have connected to the emotive and sensual qualities of paint. Now in my fifties, I specialize in plein air painting, requiring that I lug my equipment into open spaces - through the canyons of New Mexico, up and down the hill towns of Umbria in Italy, and into New England, West Coast, and Mexican conservation lands and coastal areas.

Then, I search for spaces - moments in time and place - that elicit feelings I can capture in paint. Perhaps it’s a mysterious gate left ajar, allowing a glimpse of hidden garden, or a mountain mist surrounding the tower of a 6th century abbey; or an endless sky showing shocking blue above a colorfully layered mesa.

I also look for contrasts between what is seen and what is not seen. An ancient fortress wall may provide a pleasant contradiction to the gaiety of a contemporary outdoor marketplace happening in the square below it, or lush vegetation may have found a spot to grow in the desert near barren New Mexican rock formations. I love mixing opposing elements that evoke the mysteries of life.

I hope to never lose my inner child’s leap of joy at seeing a new palette of paints, and its wonder at discovering new places and their idiosyncrasies to paint.