I love working in oil paint for the way it flows off the brush. I value its range of translucence, which enables the convincing portrayal of both solid form and glowing depths. As I paint, I like to imagine other painters throughout the centuries, faced with similar decisions regarding subject matter, composition and expression. By examining the brushstrokes of the Old Masters, I can begin to understand their choices and catch glimpses into their lives. Of course nowadays we benefit from an incredibly expanded color palette and all the intervening art history, but the human condition and the physics of light remain unchanged.

Whether it's a still life, portrait, wildlife sketch or even an imagined scenario, my work reflects careful observation and research. For twenty years I was a freelance scientific illustrator, and my illustrations have appeared in magazines, scientific journals, field guides and a children's book. I've gone through both the King County Master Gardener and Seattle Audubon Master Birder programs. I continue to enjoy learning about the nature of things, and am fascinated by archeological artifacts, rocks and shells, plant and animal interactions, human anatomy and psychology. Every bit of information helps me to paint better, though I select which details to depict and I may come up with juxtapositions that don't occur in Nature.

My usual mode involves a smooth application of paint. To expand my repertoire, I am also cultivating a looser style where the brushstrokes become more visible elements of the design. This does not mean that I can place them randomly, but instead must distill the essence of the subject into fewer, more descriptive strokes. It's heartening to know that even John Singer Sargent, master of the bravura style, would sometimes scrape down an area of canvas a dozen times before producing the perfect, seemingly-effortless stroke. Painting in this style is a huge -and exciting!- challenge.

Thank you for looking at my work. Please come in to CCG to see where my artistic travels have taken me. My next two shows will be 7/18-9/15/07 and 11/14/07 -1/13/08.