Tree at Edge of Plowed Field Painting

I begin my paintings with multiple images, usually photos or drawings, of my subjects. My aim is to simplify, to try to capture the spirit of the subject. As a painting evolves, the final image is usually a surprise to me. The viewer can see layers of gestural marks and how paint has been built up and scraped away as a work developed. Often there are accidents along the way which I’ve learned to leave alone and incorporate into the painting. I want viewers to find my work interesting and to show them familiar things in a way they haven’t seen them. I agree with the artist Robert Henri who felt that the artist should “be of some use in the world by adding to the sum total of beauty in it.”