I am a painter of ideas as much as I am a painter of places or people.  I create a visual language using symbolism in combination with light and color choices.  Creating this language speaks to both my questioning self, juxtaposed against the consistency seen in the natural world, such as how light appears when it hits a surface or how the seasons faithfully come and go.       

 I am an oil painter of landscapes and narrative based work. Through my painting practice, I am exploring and researching the crossroads of how light can be used to create meaning, connection, and emotional resonance. As a part of this study of light, I am researching how painting techniques, both contemporary and historically, help to define and develop the aesthetics of light. I am exploring the intersection of using both direct and indirect painting styles to obtain my desired effect.   

Besides oil painting, I have worked extensively with acrylic and watercolor paint. I engage in interdisciplinary studio art practices, with various drawing media, as well as with other two-dimensional media.  Furthermore, I enjoy exploring how mixing these mediums and combining them may create visual impact. I also write poetry that inspires some, but not all, of my paintings. Writing poetry helps me to explore the meaning and connection of my art.  

I create in a way that pushes me beyond comfort as I pursue challenges that keep me returning to the easel.  I am drawn to the power of art and specifically paintings that can create an emotional resonance. I want my paintings to call viewers to pause and think, if only for a brief moment. With my aesthetics, I seek to display life through my own rose-colored glasses and not in the destructive hatred that often surrounds us. I approach subjects with care and reason. I prefer to represent the beauty in life and not the struggle which abounds.