I have always been an artist at heart. From a very young age, I have scribbled, drawn, painted and sculpted... instinctively compelled to create something from nothing.

My "formal" training began with my study of art in high school. I went on to complete two years at Missouri Southern State University in 1974 with an art major. While I established a career outside the art field, I was compelled to continue studying art in my spare time, experimenting with different styles and techniques. In 1986, I committed to an art career by attending the San Francisco Art Institute, which had a positive influence on me as both a person and an artist. But my paintings from that era reflect a painful arsenal of artistic ideas manifested from living in San Francisco and attending the Art Institute.

It was not until I moved to Sonoma County in 1993 that I rediscovered my early love of the natural world. I now explore the beauty and power of landscape painting using the unspoiled Northern California countryside as my primary subject.

What I try to convey through my painting is not just a visual rendering of nature, but an evocation of the mystery and renewal that nature communicates to us. As an earth advocate, I hope to provide a more intimate understanding and appreciation of the natural world through my art.

I choose to work in oil, carrying on—with great respect—the classical tradition established by the Renaissance masters. My paintings have been referred to as realism, but that term does not capture the most vital aspect of my work. My paintings seek to evoke a deep emotional response from the viewer. Working from detailed notes and sketches, I translate the essence of each scene's mood onto canvas—fog nestled atop an oak-studded valley, morning sunlight fingering across an inland marsh, afternoon shadows lengthening through coastal brush—passing each experience's vital energy on to the viewer. It is this emotional power that motivates my painting.

Finally, a major intention of my work is to continue the tradition of art as a powerful medium of communication in our society. Throughout history, art has been used as an instrument to inform, entertain and inspire. The goal of my art is to bring us into a personal dialogue with nature at a critical time for our society's relationship with the Earth. I wish to communicate the continuity and timelessness of the natural world, while reminding us of the perfection we can experience through nature in the present moment. By eliciting these elevated emotions, my goal is to inspire a desire to preserve it both for ourselves and future generations.