Artist’s Statement
The light and color of nature have always inspired him, especially the Northland wilderness of Northern Minnesota and more recently the Southwest of New Mexico. Both present an inspiration and a challenge to capture their essence and vitality in the contrast of light and the subtly of color. Both the American landscape painters and the French Impressionists provide a stimulating mixture of styles as a springboard for an attempt at a new approach to capturing a landscape. The light of Monet, the pastels of Degas and the pointillism of Seurat have had a strong influence on my style and technic. Light, texture, color and the translucency of layers of pigment feel like the most important means of conveying the atmosphere of a scene, giving it a life and vitality beyond that of an illustration. "I sense an impression of light, color and animation which provide fertile ground for painterly expression". The world of nature offers more than the "pretty picture" or illustration. To capture that "something greater" is what I strive for in my art.