From earliest memory drawing and making things with my hands has just come naturally. It seems rooted in the enjoyment of being here. Life is stimulating and the natural world is full of exciting discoveries. Itself a work of art, the world calls for contemplation and appreciation. Beauty recognized requires some kind of memorial to the moment of elevated clarity and awareness. After the initial "Look at that!" I am often moved to draw or paint as a way of releasing the enthusiasm that has filled my cup.
The paintings were initially copying what I saw, with technique and realism being the measure of success. But over time I became aware of the process going on inside myself as I painted. Surprises, unexpected gestures, "happy accidents," and paintings that seemed to have a mind of their own as they took unintended directions - these have become a source of delight and wonder as I learn to relax into the realization that my intuition and inclinations are also nature and call for expression.
Paintings have become poems rather than essays; efforts to express the essence of nature as I experience it, rather than merely copying it. They are distillations of personal enjoyment in which I work to honor the beauty surrounding all of us. If the painting turns out to be one I enjoy looking at when I am finished, I find others usually enjoy it too.