My approach to making art is observational, immersing myself into the elements to relay the experience of the melodious sounds of wind, water, and land. I apply the sensuous properties of oil painting to create a feeling of freedom born from having an open mind and heart to a wild place within the forest, ocean, and mountains of Southeast Alaska. On the mountain summits, I capture the joy and elation that grows from physical and spiritual contact with the mountain’s resolute character. Using a gestural approach, I intuitively select color relationships from my natural surroundings and play with their compliments to create a bold design. I use only organic paints and materials while painting outdoors as a respect to the pristine beauty of these spaces. Each painting mirrors the Southeast Alaskan rainforest and is composed to bring about a healing effect on the viewer.

When making work which follows the present, fluid moment, my internal desires and dreams are fueling and driving my process as I commit to inscribing the ephemeral qualities of the land and water with paint. The resulting figurative pieces feel alive, provoking something stirring from within that is the result of the flow of energy between the earth, my body, and the canvas. Building a relationship with a certain secluded place, my marks correspond to the season’s light while I contemplate the area’s history. Each brushstroke is a personal decision and I paint in efforts of bringing artistic labor and the surrounding land into harmony.