Most of my landscape paintings, especially in the past few years are created on location - or in artistic parlance en "Plein-air". However, chilly weather has often enough prevented me from completing an entire work onsite. Finishing a painting from my photo references allows for some interesting changes in composition (and sometimes the addition of wildlife or figures), but I always strive to establish the color palette on location, as cameras tend to eliminate subtle depths of color and flatten intricate gradations of shadow and light.

Flowers never disappoint as models (except when I forget regular watering), and have provided me many hours of enjoyable painting. I always find them a relaxing way to "unwind" between more involved compositions. There is no pressure to create a particular message when painting florals - just the joy of capturing a beautiful moment of life to treasure long beyond its eventual passing.

Plein-air paintings are created on location in the great outdoors. When our somewhat unpredictable Northwest weather allows, I find taking my easel into nature an extremely relaxing activity. There is an unlimited range of inspiring scenery within a day's drive of my home studio in Everett, Washington. Painting landscapes on location helps me push my color-mixing technique and brushwork. Without a narrative to address, I can focus upon making the composition, colors and values of a painting come together within the limited daylight hours.

My "Path of Fire" series of paintings celebrates dance as an expression of unfettered joy. Dance, from any discipline (or without it), has always inspired me and provided a great release when I've built up tension from customer service and too much obsessively detailed painting. This ongoing series of paintings explores a theme of human spiritual expression through dance. Fire patterns and moths follow the paths of energy which flow from creative movement and carry the joy of living with passion and love. Children especially dance with such uplifting freedom and abandonment of concern for the regard of an "audience". Moths and butterflies carry many layers of meaning in these works - but mostly as a reminder to throw yourself into the fire of life from time to time.

This ongoing series of oil and watercolor paintings merges the beauty of women and flowers. These works were inspired by the Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha's symbolic representations of women as goddess figures and muses blooming with elegant decorative work and flowing lines. I've enjoyed rendering the complex and appealing structure of flowers for many years. The depth of symbolic imagery associated with different blooms provides another layer of interest, and I enjoy creating new stories/mythologies of my own in each painting.

Wandering in the forest or along an ocean beach, I've always felt a sense of magic in the world of creation around me. Fantasy is a human way to express that feeling of awe at the beauty which surrounds us in this life. I hope some of my faerie paintings capture those special moments when we are open to a benevolent or playful spirit around us, welcoming us back to the innocence of childhood.

I began my mermaid series of paintings in 2002. I've always loved the complex mythology of mermaids... representing the allure of a dangerous and beautiful ocean. As a teenager, I had a wonderful experience volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium, spending many mornings in the quiet of their fantastic underwater dome contemplating what it would be like to live freely below the surface. My mermaid paintings have allowed me to explore some of those thoughts. I've always imagined mermaids as playful fae beings, tempered by the deep knowledge of creatures living within the powerful ebb and flow of ocean tides.

I am somewhat taken with the elegance, elusiveness and cleverness of foxes. They continue to make appearances in my paintings over the past few years in many different guises. The enchanting few encounters I've had with wild foxes have remained bright in my memory. I hope some of these painting capture a touch of those brilliant moments.

I began this series of mermaid paintings in 2002. I've always loved the complex mythology of mermaids... representing the allure of a dangerous and beautiful ocean. As a teenager, I had a wonderful experience volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium, spending many mornings in the quiet of their fantastic underwater dome contemplating what it would be like to live freely below the surface. My mermaid paintings have allowed me to explore some of those thoughts. I've always imagined mermaids as playful fae beings, tempered by the deep knowledge of creatures living within the powerful ebb and flow of ocean tides.

I was introduced to classical figure drawing while attending the Columbus College of Art & Design. Drawing and painting the nude has been a staple of nearly every artist's professional career since the advent of Humanism and the Renaissance. The complexities of human bodies continue to provide a challenge for artists who have been working for years. Attending regular open figure drawing sessions helps me continue to develop as an artist by focusing upon capturing complex shadows, the intriguing negative space within a gesture, or an unusual perspective. I also feel strongly that observing a model for hours as I attempt to capture their unique character on paper helps me to appreciate the beauty of the human form in all its variety.