About the Artist

Mastering the language and power of color are the challenges and joys of painting,

be it outdoors or in my studio. One creates 3-dimensional form by painting shape

and value as it appears in a given lighting situation. Color choices and application

determine the mood and emotional response this artist wants to reference. A brief

passage of time en plein air, as transient as the the day's light is fleeting, is caught

in paint, after which nothing is the same again. Easy words to write, but a lifetime

of learning, practice, failure, and success are behind every painting.

My path to becoming an artist started early in life, rendering horses, ballerinas,

and crocodiles anywhere I could, including my books. My formal art education,

begun in England and continued in America, includes degrees in Art History,

Art Education, and Graphic Design and Illustration. Learning further enriched by

taking painting workshops, and advanced illustration classes. Dedicated teachers,

a staunch work ethic, the friendship and inspiration of fellow creatives, and a

lifetime of visiting art collections in Britain, Europe and America, have all nurtured

an unequivocal imperative to understand technique and visual literacy, and in that

process, advance my own drawing, painting and critical thinking skills.

My professional work life started in art education, followed by years as a designer

and art director both of children's historical fiction, ancillary print product,

and latterly a core reading program for schools. My focus is now on creating my

own work, which includes painting, writing, and illustration. Occasionally teaching

a plein air or studio class, is an enjoyable change of pace, and perspective.

Trained in most media, I currently paint primarily with oils or pastels. Until recently
my outdoor subject matter was the pastoral landscape, and muted hues of the
rugged hills, and distant bluffs of the Driftless region of SW Wisconsin. Now I live
in Blue Grass Kentucky, among its rolling, wooded hills, fertile pastures and dramatic
Palisades. Each season, day, and hour evoke a shifting colour palette from which to briskly

create the impressionistic equivalence of a scene. In addition to working en plein air

and from my sketches and photo references, I enjoy painting still-life. Ordinary objects
that relate to me personally, and are part of my daily world, transcend convention
to become idiosyncratic in paint.