Artist Statement
My art has been evolving over a lifetime, although I started painting consistently again in 1994. I have worked with my plein aire landscapes executed with both brushes and painting knives, as well as in more traditional methods. I also work in a more expressionistic/fauvist style. I paint from life and my own photographs taken throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Just as life is changeable, I find I love to switch styles, mediums and subjects according to my mood. I primarily use acrylic paints, as well as oil and collage. My work includes urban and rural landscapes, casual, decorative designs , modern still life and abstract work. I am currently concentrating on abstract art using pieces of hardware and construction materials attached to painted and collaged boards. I am also exploring abstract designs with poured resin.
When I paint, I become totally involved with the piece. I feel as though I have jumped into the art itself; most of the process becomes unconscious. Most of my paintings start with a strong color as an underpainting. I love it when pieces of the underpainting show through the final image, giving it extra vibrancy.
My style has been influenced by the impressionists Monet, Sorolla and Sisley as well as the California Plein Aire masters. Cezanne, Wolf Kahn and the modern Scottish knife painters have moved me to use color differently.
Please come visit my studio in Destination:Art in downtown Torrance, California. See the link to the left.