Why do I paint? To delineate an interpretation of the visual world is a process of comprehending the balance, tension and wonders of life. As Degas said: “Painting is not what you see but what you make others see.” When I paint the landscape, tension is created as I strive to portray reality as faithfully as possible within an environment that is constantly changing. Painting helps me to connect with the beauty and immense genius beyond even that which can be seen. To capture the gentle angle of a particular branch or express the glimmer of light dancing across a plume of foliage is a reflection of a yearning for something more.
There is an unquenchable desire to grasp at this sense of reality, meaning, and eternity alluded to by this scene in front of me. The study of rejuvenation and decay finds its balance in humanity. The Missouri landscape, so characteristic of its rolling hills and deep penetration of green, is enthralling. To see and study nature, to analyze, to somehow capture it on canvas, is exciting and animates me. I seek to bring a sense of what has been before my time and what will continue to be after it to my work.
I have found great inspiration in artists such as Cezanne and Monet. More recent artists include the works and thoughts of Wilbur Niewald, Wolf Kahn and Stanley Lewis. I seek to emulate what seems to me to be a faithful search in one’s painting, thinking and being.
