Artist’s Statement

I paint the ordinary in the hopes of finding the extraordinary, exploring the interactions of commonplace objects and figures with their environments. As a working artist, I balance my time between painting behind an easel, teaching, and working with designers, architects, and clients in the decorative arts, glazing walls and trim, painting murals and motifs, faux marble and wood, metal gilding and generally painting anything to look like anything.

Since completing my Art History and Painting studies at James Madison University and Corcoran School of Art, I have had opportunities to work on a range of rewarding collaborative decorative art projects ranging from the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in Berlin to the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton.

When I paint for clients, I use my technical skills to bring to fruition their ideas of color, texture, or landscape. This collaborative effort is very rewarding but is also very “direct” with a specific goal in mind and a plan on how to achieve it. When I paint for myself, my paintings develop over time and are not started with an end goal in mind. On the easel, I work indirectly, changing and reworking the surface daily in the knowledge that the best work comes from a willingness to abandon the preconceived. The stories, thoughts and feelings the work evokes develop during - and are a result of - the painting process.

The creative impulse is a vital part of what makes us human. The time we spend painting, drawing, or pondering the possibilities of a pile of popsicle sticks, is crucial and should be preserved. As artists we should never stop learning, and everything takes time. Like good paintings, we should also allow ourselves the time to develop.