Art has been my lifetime passion.  I have always loved the great outdoors and find plein-air painting to be particularly suited to my love of nature.  The comfort and quiet of painting the genre of still life is also a favorite part of my career.  Painting is a marvelous and often frightening process. I am often so moved by what I see that I feel a great responsibility to bring that emotion to the viewer.  It is the essence of that feeling and the play of light and color that I am searching for as a painter. 

            I have always loved the work of the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, but through the teaching of Don Sahli have come to admire the Russian School of painting including the works of Nicolai Fechin, Fedor Zakhorov, and Sergei Bongart.  I have recently studied with living legend Scott Christensen, am challenged by mentor and friend Scott Yeager, and am in awe of deceased painter Edgar Payne.  The works of these fine artists always inspire me to continue to learn and improve my abilities as a painter. 

            While always an artist, I have only been painting for approximately nine years.  As an American painter, the concept of being paid to paint in the great outdoors in this magnificent west constantly brings a smile to my face.  With oil painting, I feel as if I have discovered a secret, wonderful gift! This beautiful Colorado environment, the support of friends and family, and my faith in a greater power continue to inspire me to seek out and explore my creative gifts.