Like many artists, my path to painting was not exactly straightforward. Although I loved making art as a kid, I chose the law as my first profession (not unlike artists such as Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet and Wassily Kandinsky!). During my time as a practicing attorney, I scratched my creative itch by taking painting classes as a non-degree student at the Corcoran School of Art and the Washington Studio School in Washington, DC.
I later pivoted to a creative profession that allowed me to pursue my interests in both art and science: landscape and garden design. Being outside in nature observing color, light and shadow, pattern and movement became a source of constant inspiration. As the years have gone by, time spent at the drawing board for work has led to more time spent in front of my easel making art.
Although I don’t consider myself exclusively a floral artist, many of my paintings include a central floral element painted in vibrant hues. As a painter, I am typically drawn to a strong subject, a strong line and strong colors. Painting flowers (either in arrangements or in the garden) gives me limitless opportunity to explore all three.
I’ve also enjoyed experimenting with different media to see how each one changes the experience of painting a given subject. Oil paint has a beautiful transparency and luminosity that makes it ideal for capturing subjects such as sunlight passing through flower petals. Acrylic paint, with its faster drying time, enables quicker layering, the use of myriad textures and the creation of a more graphic look. It is also a great companion to other media such as wax crayon and ink.
I’ve found that working in different media allows me to explore the full range of representational and abstract art. My work often includes imagined compositions and colors intended to evoke the feeling and energy of the subject I’m painting. Some works are quite representational, while others are quite abstract. Constantly experimenting across the spectrum of painting what I see and painting what exists only in my mind keeps me on my toes and helps keep my art fresh, both for me as the creator and for you as the viewer.
In these web pages, you will see examples of my work across media and across painting styles. My art has been shown in juried exhibits organized by Washington ArtWorks, Artists in Middleburg (AiM) and Art at the Mill in Clarke County, Virginia, and has been purchased by a number of private collectors. My painting “Summer Bouquet” was awarded Best in Show in AiM’s 2023 Annual Member’s Exhibit.