Nature has always been central to my work. I credit my father, who was a biology professor, for initially inspiring my interest in the natural environment around me. With his guidance, I discovered its great complexity and beauty. Coming to understand the intricate web of interdependent relationships, balanced and ordered within an enormous symbiotic system, was a great revelation. Recognizing my link to this system provided a personal connection that would influence my thinking as I grew into adulthood. The outcome was a deep affection for the land, which has fostered my interest in the landscape image and has since become the focus of my painting.
I am inspired by the grand vistas and saturating light where I live. I like to work on site painting en plein air, and many times these small paintings become references for larger studio paintings. The development of a painting in the studio has a life of its own, synthesizing the factual information I've gathered outdoors. Memory and emotion play a large role in influencing the outcome. The painting is governed by the process—editing and refining, distilling the image to its essentials, while still retaining the associative feeling and mood intrinsic to that particular place. My aim in representing the landscape is not based on strict adherence to reality, but rather an expressive transcription of my experience of the landscape.