Iris of Summer Painting

Through art I experience the freedom of being an instrument of the environment with its ongoing stories told by as many different voices as possible. Especially, the natural environment, even in its decay, connects me to the happiness of intense life and new beginnings linked to a future beyond my time. And everywhere there is the energetic play of colors. Colors, too, are a prominent part of my expression. Rhythms, emotions and forces of nature strongly underlay many of my paintings. Whether abstracts, landscapes, figures or even flowers, these works reflect ocean, water flows, changing colors and relationships, intersections of geometric shapes, patterns and movement and even humor in the natural and urban worlds. Yet the issues of the world also push their way into my work. The brutal treatment of immigrants desperate in their search for a safe life and to make a new life for themselves and their families, facing the inhumane treatment of fellow human beings, at times cannot be ignored. And the senseless, mass killing of wars in the 21st Century are almost beyond our comprehension, especially after the world witnessed the millions who perished in the last century. That pain and that absurdity find their way into my work in such series as Securing the Border reflecting the struggles of those trying to make their way North or the killing fields of the Ukraine--yet still with hope for tomorrow of the human spirit through the symbol of the persistence of sunflowers rising skyward above the wreckage and ruin. My hope is that as you interact with my paintings, you will experience the underlying energy, forces and concerns but also the joy I feel as I produce them and that these works will invoke your own set of creative possibilities.