I begin a painting with an idea that often turns into something else quite different. It is a journey where I do not know the route or destination. I am influenced by what I see around me, whether it is the stunning colors and patterns in a garden, or the way light plays and bounces around through the leaves and branches in a grove of trees, or on a brick wall, or off the planes of a person’s face.

My paintings are an expression of my innermost emotions in their execution; the quality of the brushstrokes, the strength of the lines, the intensity of the colors. Just as I do in my life, in my paintings I strive for balance, strength, and happiness.

I would like my work to elicit a spontaneous flash of emotion, to bring something exciting and uplifting to the eye and heart. My wish is to provide the viewer with a sense of joyous retreat, even if just for a moment at a time.