Artist's Statement...

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." - Pablo Picasso

When I was a young child, I spent hours with a pencil and paper drawing pictures of cartoon characters, nature and animals just to give to my parents and friends.  I wasn’t a great artist by any means but I felt compelled to draw.  I would fill every inch of a piece of paper with pencil strokes.  As I grew, I became more skilled.  I read books about artistic techniques and began to copy other artist’s styles.  Soon, I was able to create art that I could call my own.  I began to see the beauty in everything around me.  The smallest things would catch my eye.  Something as simple as the different shades of a rock allowed me to see art in creation.

"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better." - Andre Gide

As an artist, I am constantly awed by the splendor and miracle of creation. Through my art, I want to capture the pure beauty of being…the essence of nature. I have always been fascinated with aquatic life.  The way that the sunlight reflects on the back of a fish or how nature continues to grow on and around a foreign object. The spectacle of vibrant color in water is truly amazing!  The artist Christian Riese Lassen inspires me.  His use of color and creativity in marine life is remarkable.  I aspire to capture nature the way that he does.  I have always attempted to create realism in the life of the animals that I paint yet at the same time striving to show their individual character.  I have been told that the expressions of the animals that I create “reveal their spirit.”  As an artist, that is a true compliment.   

"A man paints with his brains and not with his hands." - Michelangelo

Over the years, I have experimented with several techniques.  I have painted on numerous surfaces and have used everything from spray paint to airbrush, acrylics to oils, colored pencils to oil pastels.  I feel comfortable with all mediums but I prefer acrylic, latex and colored pencil.  I enjoy mixing and blending colors to produce that perfect look.  My goal is to make color that is eye-catching and subjects that are breathtaking.  I want each viewer to see something different and unique.

“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." - Pablo Picasso

I have a desire to share my ideas and dreams with the world around me. I wish to inspire and awe.  I want to improve my community with the vision of art!