My Artistic Journey

I started painting when I was in middle school. I'd find pretty photos in magazines and such as a reference. This is a painting I made in high school. Let's just say that was a long, long time ago. I started with animals and landscapes as subject matter. In my 20's I painted large close ups of flowers, inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe, still one of my favorite artists. I didn't do a lot of painting in my mid to late 30's but when I did it was of places I had gone using my own photos as a reference. I experimented with abstraction, watercolor, and branched off to other types of art, always creating something. Then in my 40's I hiked rim to rim across Grand Canyon. That changed everything. I've been painting landscapes with a passion, a deep desire to share my love for wild places you might say. I use photos I take on hikes as reference. I sometimes paint with watercolors in plein air, carrying the supplies on hikes. For the past couple of years I have enjoyed painting close ups of flowers occasionally between painting landscapes, and more recently two paintings of my pet rabbit. Funny how things come full circle.

While I still paint many of the same subjects, my style has evolved over the years through experimentation and the influence of other painters. In recent years I have been striving to loosen up while painting. It might sound easy but as a perfectionist when it comes to my art, it has been a struggle. I have to resist the urge to get in there with a small brush and paint tiny details. I sometimes say I have abstract envy. I admire painters who can with a few brush strokes create a simplified but recognizable object or scene that leaves much to the viewer’s imagination and interpretation— creating a partnership with the viewer in a sense. My artistic journey will no doubt continue to evolve.