Artist Statement

Like many before me, I moved to the country (from the suburbs of Chicago) and I am transformed. I am compelled to capture my Hudson Valley surroundings. For a narrative painter, this presents a quandary. How to tell a story when you want to paint trees? The question has opened up my work in a way I could not have foreseen.

Emerson wrote, “In the woods, is perpetual youth.” I’ll be honest, I was not prepared for the youthful exuberance I feel in my new home. I have been telling people back in the Midwest that I am living my childhood fantasy of life in a magical forest without even knowing Emerson got there first. And so how can I not explore this in my painting, as well as interior spaces that hold meaning for me?

My view is intimate. I start by referencing personal images from hiking, walking the dog, resting at home. I consider the composition and values. Colors are chosen by emotional content, I play with thin layers of colors, adding and removing, darkening and brightening, letting abstract forms remain. I look for graphic elements to weight the work, a tree branch, a rock, a person. Figures are not the lead actors in these stories, though. They may be part of the landscape or a side plot. The main character is the feeling of space.

Painting such a universal theme as nature seemed very daunting to me when I first considered it. Artists have been channeling the Hudson Valley since the 1800’s. What would I say that hasn’t been said before? I now have faith that the power of this landscape is so vast that there will always be room for a voice with a unique story to tell.