I paint flowers, still life, landscapes and figures. I am driven by the shapes and colors of the subject matter but only as a starting point. I am interested in the way the paint is applied to the canvas - brushwork and the mix of colors create the design. I am a contemporary impressionist painter. My canvas has a clear subject but I use color and tools to alter the design, softening the edges.
Usually the subject matter and source of a painting reflects the tenor of my life outside the studio. Flowers become important as they bloom in the yard, eventually making it into a vase on the kitchen counter. While drinking coffee, the vase beckons the canvas and brush. Landscapes and the magical horizon line draw me into the ocean line, the marsh, the mountain ridge. I often paint landscapes in a calm state with mystical wandering into the canvas. Figures, particularly female ones, can be especially alluring and mysterious. Who is this person and how does she fit into the room?
My paintings take on various stages. Usually the clean canvas is quickly covered in a thin layer of moving colors. The subject appears and I then start layering the paint to build the image, giving it weight. As soon as paint is applied, sometimes it is scraped and reapplied in another area. I start with brushes, often moving to pallet knives, layering the colors over one another.
