I believe that what you choose to surround yourself with -- whether it is antique or modern furniture, beautiful rugs or colorful walls and of course the artwork that takes residence upon those walls -- is extremely important.

The artwork I surround myself with in my home is very personal to me. Sometimes it is because I know the artist or have visited the place that is represented in the painting. Sometimes it is simply because I can relate to the sense of place or it jogs a memory for me. The colors, tones, composition, and brushwork all play a part in this and often I don’t know why I chose a certain piece but I do know that it spoke to me.

In my own painting, I usually start with an idea or a specific place as inspiration and at some point the painting takes on a life of its own. I might be after a certain feeling or story and what a viewer sees in the painting might not be exactly what I was thinking. That is what is so exciting to me. I love that another person may interpret a different story from my painting. It is my hope that my paintings might have a bit of a universal quality in them that allows such interpretations.

The subjects I choose are typically inspired by a place I have traveled. When I don’t know what I want to paint I simply revisit some of my many photos and soon I am transported back to my memories and escape into my paints for another journey.

Another source of inspiration for me is local scenes in and around Petaluma and Sonoma County, where you can often spot me painting en plein air.

So please, take a look at my works and join me for a momentary escape...