Painting
diverse landscapes “en plein air” (in one sitting, on location) is my
passion. California’s hills scattered with oak trees, bay
marshes, and of course our beautiful coastline provide me constant
inspiration. I apply my contemporary California Impressionist
skills both outdoors and in the studio for larger works.
I
seek to capture the essence of a location and time by painting the
movement, rhythm and color harmonies unique to that day. To my
eye, the disparate elements in the landscape (land, sea, and sky) have
an interchange and relationship that is fascinating and
inspirational. Each effects the other and work in harmony.
That’s why I’ll often paint the same location again during the year
several times. As the seasonal fauna come and go,
and the weather
changes, the color harmonies are endless! My early music training
and career
established my perception of “visual rhythm”, which I strive to
represent in every painting. It’s the interesting interchange between
all elements of the landscape that create these rhythms and provide
the
perception of movement in what otherwise might be considered a
photographic still.
As a collector myself of
early California art, I follow the traditions set by the innovators
such as Edgar Payne, Colin Campbell
Cooper, Seldon Gile, Tom Tompson and
in particular the seascapes of Franz Bischoff, Paul Dougherty, Joseph
Kleitsch, Armin Hansen, John O’Shea and Alfred Mitchell. I’m grateful
to these men and women for the inspirational legacy they’ve
created. I also admire contempory plein air artists, such as
Edward Seago, Fred Cuming, Ken Auster, Joseph Mendez, Ovanes Berberian,
Don Stone, Ted Goerschner and Camille Przewodek.