Paintings                                                                   Images

 

My interest in stories –whether in books, movies, on TV, or being told around the dinner table is an inspiration for my work.  In every painting I try to drop the viewer into the middle of a story. 

Historically art was meant to be viewed and experienced by the masses in churches, in civic buidlings and plazas, or to be shown in houses to friends and family who visited.  When I think about the settings and places I want my art to permanently reside it is the latter.  In a home the work of art can influence and inspire those who live there with its beauty and its story.  I try to make appealing, affordable, personal, and thought-provoking paintings. 

As with my ceramic work, I try to make my paintings speak to all sorts of people and influence their lives through daily use and interaction with it.  For me, art is made for use and its value is in its ability to inspire deep thought and evoke emotional and spiritual responses in the viewer.

Much of my painting reflects the land in which I live -- New Mexico.  Works I do that are set in other parts of the world, the desert color scheme -- warm pinks, yellows, and oranges -- make their way into my finished work.   My current work often depicts human figures within the landscape chosen; if you are telling a story, people ought to be part of the subject.  

When the figure that appears seems to be merely a shadow, I am referencing the inner spirit of mankind -- I call him Spirit Man.  Where he appears the landscapes are imaginary and metaphorical.  The landscape is part of an internal landscape where Spirit Man journeys to reveal some aspect of our human condition.

Although I have ventured into abstract subjects in painting, my true artistic voice is expressed best in representations of what I have experienced in the physical world.