I live in Colorado and am fortunate to frequently hike in the Rockies and other states and countries that I visit. Throughout those hikes, I experience a strong appreciation for the beautiful landscape that we live in. Those hikes have inspired me in diverse terrains such as Hanging Lake near Glenwood Springs Colorado, the cliff faces in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the Sequoias National forests in Southern California and the moody gorgeous terrain in Iceland to name a few. Places such as these have acted as inspiration for my exploration into the shapes, lines, and textures that evoke a remembrance of water, pine needles, clouds, mountains, and nature in general.
I have always had a connection to nature. I grew up traveling all over the United States exploring the natural wonders this world has to offer with my parents and extended family. This love and connection is the reason I created a series called Natura in which I explore those concepts in subtly different ways, by changing the forms while keeping the textures and colors similar. While this is going to continue to be an expansive series, I love to create in triptychs because I can explore variations on a theme in all its creative ways using a similar color palette.
I chose an oil medium which is perfect for me to express a subtlety of tone and shapes because of its fluidity. This allows me to create those moody greys so endemic within much of my work. All works are fully wired by hand with the highest quality materials. I paint on wood paneling that is extra smooth to allow me to have each brush stroke glide along the surface, integrating each stroke with control and precision.
I must contend that while I’m sharing my conscious thoughts, the work is also created on a subconscious level. Viewers have seen a variety of images in my work. I feel that in each one of my works I am communicating a part of me, which viewers pick up as objective images in my work. I discovered when I was 10 years old, taking oil painting classes with my mother, that for me, painting is the outlet that activates my subconscious mind. I tap into that subconscious through a creative energy inside me.