Artist Statement

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My work is both an act of devotion to land and life,

and an effort to awaken our sense of connectedness to it.

 

As a child growing up in the East Bay Area of California,

I witnessed the repeated dismembering of wild open spaces around me

into housing developments and parking lots.

Never did I ever see or hear any recognition of the violence of this act; 

and my shock and grief for the lack of value placed on the land itself, as well as the plant and animal beings populating it, remains a driving force in my life and in my art. 

 

My calling is to honor these places before they are lost to the mindless consumption of this culture. To take note of their value with my love and attention, to give voice to their presence so that we may we know and learn from the wild and unruly parts of ourselves that are nurtured by them.

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In so doing, I hope to advocate for their protection, and ultimately,

for their return to the indigenous peoples who are the rightful stewards of them.

For every piece I sell, I give 10% to Sogorea Te Land Trust, in support of their mission to rematriate the land - to restore indigenous people to their rightful place in sacred relationship with their ancestral land.

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My exaltation for Nature takes shape in my pieces through pulsating color and sensuous line quality. I feel that electric vibrancy exists just beneath what the eye sees, and suggests the dramatic wilderness within. The act of connecting to the essence of a place before creating a portrait of it is an important part of my process. I relish arduous hikes into the hills with my equipment and prefer painting on-site to painting from a photo reference for the effect this has on me as a medium for the land.

Thank you for visiting.

May the land go with you in your heart!

 

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CV

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