The bond I feel with the land of California continues to intensify through the act of painting. It's
the same sensation I get while painting a portrait, as if on a deep level I really see that
person. Landscape is a vast and literally all-encompassing subject whose varied habitats,
seasons, light conditions and moods offer endless opportunities for artistic self-expression. It
is my great good fortune to live at this time in the art world, which provides me and my
fellow artists a delicious latitude to play around, invent, improvise. I usually listen to modern
jazz while I work, an art form whose very language is that of freedom within constraints. The
tune may be familiar, but the personal interpretation and unique sound of the musician is what
keeps the music fresh and alive. That creative spirit propels me.
Most often working with pastels or oils, with occasional forays into watercolor, my artistic
output has been devoted mainly to the depiction of the North Bay region. About half of those
paintings are of Marin, where I was born and raised. Human beings tend to hold a deep
attachment to the place they are from. Moving away is often emotionally wrenching, and
returning home can soothe an enduring longing. Now that my work is potentially visible to
anyone anywhere on the web, I have had numerous requests from former residents for
paintings that depict this area, to be hung on walls in distant corners of the country, reminding
folks of home.
On a sober note, we live in a time of global environmental crisis on an unprecedented scale. I
do what I can to minimize my impact, knowing it will only be a drop in the ocean. But I still
believe that art has the power to move people. I guess I'd rather try to capture the exquisite
and transient beauty of the Earth than to wallow in despair or cast aspersions on a young
species that's still struggling to find balance.