Artist Statement

I spend a lot of time wandering friend’s wildflower meadows and the fields at Fox Haven with my dog. It’s where my paintings begin. I gather ideas and impressions, take tons of photos, explore, and imagine the lives of and among the flowers and vines and grasses. When I return to the studio, I use my photo references as compositional resources and reminders to begin, but very quickly memories and impressions take over. I often focus closely on the plants and flowers, zooming in on nature so that she dominates my canvas and demonstrates her power to consume space and continue to prevail. But she also protects and nourishes, and I love thinking about the symbiotic relationship of the plants and animals. I also contemplate my own relationship with and dependence on nature. It's a beautiful interconnected web that I try to represent on my canvas. My hope is that my work inspires a similar curiosity and personal response in my viewer to appreciate the magic and mystery of nature and act on our collective stewardship to protect her.