Before the Beginning Painting

I started to make art in my mid-thirties. I took a few adult education classes. One class changed everything. Draw whatever you want, however you want. I leaned toward abstraction. It was liberating to make art that was generated by the myriad of emotions that floated on the surface of my life at that time. How I make art has evolved slowly. The willingness to see colors and shapes in a landscape or on a kitchen counter, or feel a mood or emotion, all rendered through paints, pencils and other materials, are only a few of the infinite filters that land on the surface. I understand that each mark or color choice, or the final painting, is recognized as a moment in time not to be matched by any other moment in time. My primary pull, as an artist, is to leave an emotional mark, an image or shape that is mysterious and curious, brings joy and beauty. I create art that generates, for me, a feeling of wonder and awe, not unlike life itself.