Standing Tall Painting

I have been an artist all my life and did my first oil painting when I was eight-years-old with the help of my father who was a Sunday painter. He introduced me to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC at an early age, where I fell in love with the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, particularly Vincent Van Gogh. Over the years, my paintings have evolved from painting what I saw, to painting what I wanted to see. My landscapes are places that I want to visit, to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I want them to be peaceful and soothing to the soul. Hopefully my still life paintings also evoke a feeling of peace and quiet, as I love to paint different textures that complement each other. My very first job out of college was as a merchandise illustrator in a department store where I learned to illustrate everything from pearls to pillows to purses, using only India ink and water. It was a fabulous education and a vocation that is now obsolete. This illustration background has served me well and I feel fortunate to incorporate much of it into the paintings I do today, whether it's a landscape, still life, or an urbanscape.