"Backlight" Painting

Eclectic. I paint impressionistic landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, people, and sometimes still life. My paintings of people have been described as "poetic" and they run the gamut from quick impressionistic portraits in acrylics to finely detailed oils on smooth wood panels. In 2026 my preference is leaning towards the style of Edward Hopper emphasizing color, light, shadow, and geometry to isolate his subjects. He is first known as an American Realist but he is also a self-avowed impressionist.

When I am painting impressions, I tend to follow the thinking of George Innes. He was a 19th century American Tonalist painter and he said "...an elaborateness of detail does not gain me meaning." Turner is inspiring. "Indistinctness is my forte." Turner's work glows with light and everything is infused with motion. His landscapes and seascapes are never static. My work emulates his. Landscapes are fluid; skies threaten, clouds move, grain sways, trees rustle, and the sea restlessly heaves. A city scape is frenetic with abstract traffic. The canvas is attacked with knife and brush and enthusiasm. I like my paintings to exude moods and motion. Color is used not to describe but to evoke emotion. Intentions are conveyed through suggestions - not delineation. Verena Rotke wrote “Nature itself, the landscape itself, does not contain any straight line, any artificial composition – its beauty can exclusively be seen in apparent disarrangement.”

I now live in San Diego county next to the sea. My roots are in the prairies of Alberta and the mountains of the Canadian Rockies. I paint what I know - whether it is a vista before me or a memory entrenched in my mind.

When I am painting people, my style ranges from the Impressionism of Monet to the Realism of Edward Hopper. It depends on the subject and the message I am trying to convey. My series of portraits entitled "Recollection" represent those of us nearing the end of our lives and pondering what has come before.

One reviewer wrote:
"Beautiful depth, perspective and feeling emits from these works of art. The artist actually takes you into the painting so that you can feel the work. I will look forward to keeping an eye on future works!"
- Laurie Ruffner, Executive Director at Bitterroot Performing Arts Council

Another said:
"Your works are metaphysical. There is a mystery of life in them, of becoming and existence, and affirming the existence of God, all accoutered in a special atmosphere..."
-Roland Kay.