Artist Statement

The short statement is Every painting is a prayer for the preservation of nature and this beautiful planet upon which we live.

 

Light invests my flowers with energy and liveliness. Their transitory nature makes the moment an occasion that deserves to be appreciated, savored and remembered. Throughout the painting process I remain aware of this and invest the painting with my experience of that moment of exquisite beauty. 

 

As the gardener of most of the flowers in my paintings, I have a deep appreciation for all of their life cycles and the fleeting moments of the beauty that occur.  Having such a close connection to the plants and flowers that I paint, and watching the changing climate in which they grow presents me with an urgency to paint them in the most compelling ways that I can because I might not be able to grow them in the future.

 

Spare compositions, excluding all extraneous details of the external world, focus on a moment of elegance, harmony and dignity.  The paintings are a still moment when the dimension of the outside world falls away. They illustrate my desire and hope for the possibility of harmony and balance in the world, and a moment for meditation on our relationship to nature

 

Rocks and marble tabletops show up in many of my paintings.  They represent the foundation of all life, the earth and soil that grow all of the food that we eat.  Without Earth, there is no life.  These harder, more permanent materials are used as a counterpoint to the ephemeral qualities of flowers.  I am concerned about the disruption of the balance of nature, and have to believe in and paint the everyday triumphs of nature.

 

The high level of realism, sometimes hyper-realism, and the straightforward compositions reflects my desire for honesty and truth that is revealed by nature.

 

The aesthetic pleasure of illuminated colors and forms is obvious in my paintings.  I am also interested in beauty.  It is something people respond to, is uplifting and hopeful…the desire for it is universal.  Flowers occupy the elevated level of beauty, which moves us and evokes notes of aspiration to vibrate within us.