Artist Statement
CV“I paint landscapes throughout the Southwest, both natural and man-made, that hint of the latent history of geologic features or residual effects of past human actions. Wherever I am, I record my environment, be it Los Angeles or a plane sitting on the tarmac of an international airport. Many of my paintings are of the Mojave Desert, where the pull of the open road ringed by distant mountain ranges satisfies the nostalgia of past road trips. By wandering, exploring, and camping my way through remote places, I find the landscapes that propel me to paint.
My paintings begin with digital photos that are carefully chosen from my travel documentation. I sketch first in pencil, and then paint directly on Dura-Lar®, a smooth and versatile polyester film that has the right tooth for painting. I work with pure oil paint and don’t add any solvents, oils, or varnish. My working process is straightforward, but involves great concentration and artistic self-discipline, which is necessary to execute the level of detail in the work.
I paint impressive vistas in small scale so that the viewer is brought into intimate contact with them, just as I am drawn into them when I paint. The goal is to pull you deep into a painting so you will get lost in it. My small works are “hand-helds”—grand scenes in miniature form — that are easy to transport and display, referencing the era before photography.
In some paintings I accentuate the effect of long horizons to instill a sense of peacefulness in a composition that has a dramatic sky or a monumental mountain. I also seek out and often record rare or remarkable subject matter. Spending time in the desert I have seen extraordinary things like dry strikes of lightning that go sideways across the landscape and rare widespread wildflower blooms. I am interested both in the characteristic details of the landscape — often finding colors or forms that strike me as entirely new — and in the impact that man continues to make. My paintings are meant to be direct and descriptive, and the emotions they evoke are a complex blend of awe of natural beauty with an undercurrent of tension."
