Artist's Statement
I'm a tortured artist! On the one hand, I have been doodling and expressing myself visually for as long as I can remember. On the other, I have been surrounded by artists of incredible abilities and feel unworthy to be know by the same title as they. But the inner hunger to create visually lifted me above the bottomless pit of comparison, and now I happily pick up a brush or pastel stick and see where they will lead me.
Most often, I paint places, places I have been, or would like to go to, but the purpose is to create a world where one is safe and inspired. Whether mountains or shore, sunset or sunrise, woods or open meadow, it's all about the emotions of the place. To feel safe from the world's cares is an initial desire, but close behind is the spiritual connection the place inspires. Once in awhile, the pieces has a more specific point, but I've been taught not to be too obvious, advice I do not alway heed
For me, creativity (in whatever form) and spirituality are intertwined. When I am engaged in one, the other seems to be close at hand. It's a sacred dance that many artists will understand. At those times when I feel spiritually lost, creativity feeds my soul. When I feel the inevitable creative drought, connecting with God suddenly fills the well. That fact is reason enough to create, but art also allows for another kind of connection. When one paints something and another responds to the piece, there is a conversation of sorts. This website, on many levels, is my attempt to have more of those conversations in a larger circle.
