Artist's Statement

All artwork is at its core a reflection of the artist. That I paint landscapes is certainly due to my growing up in small towns in Alaska. I have a terrific appreciation for being outdoors in all seasons and all weather. I paint outdoors when I can, and in the studio when I have to. Nature in all its aspects, from the magnificent to the mundane, is fascinating. Although much of my work is categorically landscape painting, I am in a broader sense simply a representational painter. The whole of the visual world interests me and presents itself as material and inspiration for painting. The paintings I make, however, are not merely about my trying to recreate what I see but are, when successful, organizations of color, pattern, and texture which come together as single graphic statement. I am not interested in making paintings which present a viewer with scene which they look into. Instead I prefer to make work which has a forceful presence and which comes off the wall toward the viewer.