I have always been fascinated with our natural world and painting is a joyful way for me to express my passion and respect for all living things and the landscapes that surround us. Involving myself in nature ~ whether in painting, hiking, volunteering at a wildlife rehab center, or just being observant of my environment ~ allows me to stretch my perception of its power and awe-inspiring beauty.
My creative adventures begin with sketches, field studies, and photography of a scene that inspires me with something such as interesting shapes, lovely color combinations, or a fascinating mood in the weather. I choose a surface that is either rough and textured with brushstrokes of pumice or softer and more accepting of finer detail. Pastels are a wonderfully vibrant medium that I love for their immediacy as well as for the great variety of strokes that I can achieve depending on what surface and what pastel I work with. When I am able to work outdoors, I’ll either paint quick acrylic studies or work more extensively on a pastel, and I will take notes on the feelings and perceptions that the view offers me before leaving to finish the piece in the studio.
I hope to absorb the landscape and all of the sensations that a day in nature offers so that I can convey the ambiance of the scene to the viewer, and give them a window into not only the landscape itself, but into the ideas and emotions that I experienced while creating the painting. |
