ARTIST STATEMENT:

Have you ever walked a beagle dog through your neighborhood? The experience is not a normal dog walk, that is, striding steadily from point A to point B, covering ground on all the streets.  A "beagle walk" is a slow, stop-and-go pokey walk, where you stop very frequently to satisfy her little hound nose, leaving you staring up at the trees and sky most of the time.  This is a description of my life, several times a day, in my woodsy neighborhood. I have stared up at many trees and sky views. Trees embrace and surround, and even affect the sounds I hear.  I also study the clouds and weather, the constantly changing setting behind the trees. I do not not the "human" presence - the people, the buildings - my deep connection to nature is how I choose my subjects.  

I almost never just sit with a book and pencil, sketching what I see in the trees.  I don't consciously think about what is coming out on the page. Not a realistic representation, my work is a response to the backdrop of life - a living, twisting habitat.  I do not care if one sees actual trees in my work - if you do, that is fine - but if you only see composition, color, and mood, then that is just perfect.  Just feel.

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