The use of symbolism and color provokes thoughts and memories of the past and hopes that linger just out of reach in the future.   Always in search of the abstracted realism of the subject,  I like to bring the observer into my paintings without getting lost in the sentimentality of it.  By capturing moments in time one cannot escape the desire for reflection and contemplation.

As a child my imagination was enlivened by color and imagery in the natural world.  I was most excited when I was able to live in the moment when the sense of exploration never failed to provide an outcome of delight.   It was the treasured old oak tree in the back which grounded me and whispered sweet nothings in my ear.   Climbing as high as I could I would find a sturdy branch to nestle in the crook of its arms.   I could feel the tree swaying in the breeze and the dappled sunlight dancing on my skin.  Then I could dream about lofty ideas.   It was the dark and humid nights when the lightening bugs came out and I would run after them with the wet grass underfoot and the silhouettes of the trees stood with majesty against the starlit sky.   Coming from the city to the country my senses were heightened when I was immersed in the natural world on my grandfather’s farm.  Riding bareback and running like the wind empowered me with a true sense of freedom.  I would lie on the back of my horse by the pond.   I would feel his muscles shifting underneath me while he nibbled the grass.   I would watch the clouds form into wonderful images as they built into huge thunderheads and the sky would be awash in golds, roses, greens, purples and dark grays.  I could smell the rain coming.   I would jump into the corn bin barefoot and sink into the trough of golden kernels surrounded by the fragrance of old wood, musty organic material, and fresh cut hay….

These moments, etched in my memory, continually refresh my childhood delight at play and the richness of the colors I use.

Savoring our past and helping to unfold our common experiences is what unites all of us in the universal community.  My paintings are not predetermined.  I wait for the door to my imagination to open and find that there is an inspired direction that is not of my choosing.  I have been welcomed into the realm of the divine.  I then patiently add layer upon layer of color until the depth of the paint reveals the life of the subject.  As the image emerges there is that wonderful moment,

“Ahh. There you are.”