Statement

Inspired by lyrical lines and lively colors, these paintings develop out of my feeling and response to landscape motifs and natural forms. I am inspired by the abundance and working of water in the New England landscape, in contrast to my childhood home in California. I enjoy painting the bucolic moods where I live in Vermont, and imbuing these with idealism and whimsy. The initial drawings serve as a tool for imaginative exploration, and for an occasional glimpse into the spiritual and magic al forces working within our organic world.

My work explores landscape and the moods expressed by the natural world; nature as a force with its own destiny, vitality and independence from humankind. I paint nature as personified in all of its wonder, both real and as I imagine. Especially interesting to me are the seasonal moments that punctuate the year, and the feelings these inspire in us. I often include animals, archetypes, dryads or nudes in my paintings. The discipline of figurative sculpture sensitizes me to the nuances of form and the gestures that result in form. Sculpture informs my painting, and develops my sense of nature's turgidity and motion. Likewise, painting has trained my eye for sculpture and developed sensitivity for detail and value. Color is especially important to me, and a great deal of attention goes into the colors I use in each painting.

Exhibiting work regularly, I can be found represented in public and private collections nationally. I have studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, with the Russian painter, Ludmila Gayvorinsky, and sculptor W.J. Williams at the former studio of Augustus Saint Gaudens. My studio is at the Historic Red Barn in North Hartland.