The paintings in this portfolio derive from a long-term series called Rivers, Mountains and Sea. The aim of this effort is to explore the mingling and collision of water and air with sand and rock, and it speaks to the idea of resistance and change in the land, as in the human psyche.

       Painted in acrylic or pastel in a brightly colored, gestural technique, my working method relies on direct, unmediated encounters with nature. These outdoor pieces serve as starting points for my reflection on the capacity of wind, water and light to alter the seemingly permanent nature of things. In this environment, mark-making moves beyond the verifying of facts to the cataloging of visual behaviors that correspond to shifts in temperament and the workings of a wandering intellect.

       Derived from experiences in such far-flung locales as Alaska, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Southwest and northern California, my paintings aim to integrate direct observation with memory. In turn, they draw on this former caricaturist’s inclination to embrace overstatement as the most effective language for decoding the natural world.