"Saugatuck Reservoir on a grey and rainy day" Painting

I have been obsessed with landscapes for as long as I can remember. Traveling around the world collecting memories of “that perfect view” became a goal early on in my life. The paintings that I create are inspired by the many different views that I’ve encountered close to home and in distant places. Some of the paintings are obviously site specific, while others remain mysterious and may be images that reside in the collective memory. Recreating these images through the artistic process is an escape for me. It enables me to find calm in the experimentation and use of materials and the serenity in the memory of things.
As an artist I am extremely interested in the ways that landscapes are ever changing, with seasons, environmental shifts and urban development. I often emphasize season, and time of day in an attempt to draw the viewer not only into a specific landscape, but also to a specific moment in time, and allude to the feelings that could be associated with that moment. I use a perspective that seems to radiate from the viewer back into space, as well as exaggerated color temperatures and surface textures that add to the idea of inviting a moment. Watercolor paint is the medium that brings me the most joy. The lack of control and permanence of each brush stroke speak of the balance between the material and the maker. Many of my oil and acrylic works begin with using those materials in a manner as close to watercolor painting as possible, with layers of oil and acrylic subsequently built up on the surface of the paper or canvas.