ARTIST STATEMENT

Art, for me, is an expression of the spirit and not just a representation of a thing such as a landscape or figure. The subject and the evocation of its spirit are entwined and inseparable.

Landscape in my work stems from growing up in rural Oregon. As a boy, I loved the landscape.
I played in it, escaped to it, and soon, started to draw and photograph it. The agelessness of that environment offered a mystery and folklore that shaped my own character and subsequent expressions. The landscape is reflective of the bigger part of life. It grounds my spirit and helps to narrow the vast gap between myself and the universe.

The Figure is for me the most eloquent of subjects. When I choose the figure as subject I am able to mix ideas with a full range of emotions.  My figures are sometimes enigmatic, mischievous, demonic, symbolic of a muse, exotic, masculine, heroic, motherly, angelic, and sexual. Often, the figure serves as a shadow of my personality. I believe the nude is representative of the vulnerable, the beautiful, the ugly and the strong. I love this subject the most and feel that it reverberates  with the public.

Color is a marvelous challenge and I like to play with its physical and metaphoric possibilities. I think of color as a baby dragon that spills out onto a palette and wants to wrestle. I have to push it around and search for its place. Color wants to be on its own and is often not interested in my subject matter. I give it as much freedom as I can.

Creating lies mostly with me in drawing and painting. I like to rendering from life, illustrate ideas or, I love to conjuring  images from a deeper place. The latter is the greatest challenge and provides me with surprise, revelation, and gratification.