“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth, find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson
When I paint, my goal is to evoke an emotional response to the image represented, rather than to simply reproduce the image exactly as it appears. When I depict landscapes, forests and trees, I want it to invite the viewer in, allowing for a momentary “pause” and a peaceful place to linger for a while.
Trees are a recurring theme in most of my current artwork. Trees inspire me. They remind me of strength, vitality and the majesty of our divine creator. They remind me that, like the tree, I can withstand the storms of life, when I am firmly rooted in the One who gave me life.
As an experimental artist, I am constantly looking for new ways of expressing myself and I am most happy in my studio when I am experimenting with a new medium or technique. I paint a lot of my work in watercolor, but I don’t consider myself a “purist”, meaning that I do not paint solely using transparent watercolor. Rather, I like to mix things up a bit; using opaque watercolors, gouache, acrylics, pen & ink, collage as well as watercolor pencils and water-soluble crayons, to name a few.
As an artist, I strive to design paintings that speak to the viewer about the beauty that surrounds us in the natural world. To be a visual reminder, in the midst of a busy and hectic life, that the best way to still the noise around us is to reconnect with nature. There is a refreshing that happens when we surround ourselves with beauty; it has a way of putting our problems and stresses into perspective.