Gray, Green, along the River Painting

“Great art picks up where nature ends.”—Marc Chagall My work explores my response to time spent walking through the woods and forest preserves of DuPage County, Illinois. A Native American, my work is rooted in my rich memories of visiting the Cherokee farmlands of my family in Oklahoma as a child, and my artistic journey stretches far back and is a reflection on the land and my ongoing expression of it. Inspired by local beauty and sense of natural space, I create paintings that capture the attempt to recall these cherished places and step back into them. Through both en plein air studies and studio-based works, my paintings invite viewers to experience the transformative stillness of nearby familiar fields, woods, rivers, and forest preserves. (Nearby for me means the West Branch Forest Preserve, which I walk or bike through nearly every day.) My paintings offer a visual meditation on the interconnectedness of sense of place and nature. My work seeks to foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world and inspire a sense of stewardship for the environment. I also digitally rework my paintings to create something new. The process begins with images of my work, which I then bring into software such as Blender. Through this exploration, I then alter my paintings to create unique digital art. The resulting work transcends its origin, evolving into mesmerizing digital landscapes that resonate with my love for often-visited places close to home.