Artist Statement:
When I paint en plein air, I first focus on the subject and my surroundings… is it bright, is it cold, is it quiet. Then I get lost in thinking about life and painting becomes automatic. When I get in this space, hours can pass quickly. Usually my best paintings happen when I don’t overthink the painting process and instead think about the world around me and the connections the act of painting inspires.
Something about painting buildings thrills me. I think it’s the big shapes. Big shapes contrasting with little shapes and lines that criss-cross. When light and shadow falls on a building, especially in a city, I stop and notice. Big slices of light cutting across a wall, window or street are a thing of beauty.
Many artists are inspired by light. I am too. For me, light is never more important than when there is a healthy amount of darks. The contrasts are compelling to me.
Whether I am painting landscapes, florals, cityscapes or anything that catches my interest, I believe my job as an artist is to help others see something different in their world and not pass by without noticing.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia PA
Masters of Education, Temple University, Philadelphia PA
Awards & Distinctions:
Selected Awards and Notable Events
- 19 Large Scale Painting Images Reproduced for Texas Harris Methodist Hospital / Justin Tower, Fort Worth 2022
- Boldbrush Competition Fav 15% Award: 7 times between 2013 and 2023
- Grant Recipient: A New Normal: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19, Fine Line Group Fort Worth, TX 2020
- Awarded Signature Membership in Outdoor Painter’s Society 2019
- Juror's Special Recognition, OPS Plein Visions in Miniature for "In a Fog" 2019
- 1st Place, Lake Granbury Art Association Member Show for "Side Lit Trailers” 2011
- Best in Show, Lake Granbury Art Association National Juried Show for “Man at Window” 2011
Press
- Emerging Artist article, Art Galleries and Artists of the South Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2013
- ‘Artist Enjoys Observing Nature’, feature article in Hood County News, 2012
Exhibitions:
Selected Juried Shows
2023 Selected for several pop-up shows at Pottery Barn, Fort Worth starting 2018
2019 Accepted into Plein Air Southwest, Galveston, TX, May 2019
2017 Plein Air Southwest accepted “Highlight,” Dallas, TX
2016 Plein Air Salon Online Aug/Sept Show – 3 works accepted
2016 Outdoor Painter’s Society Online Showcase – 3 works accepted
2016 Plein Air Southwest – 3 pieces accepted
2015 Oil Painters of America, Associate Members Showcase accepted “Liquid Calm”
2015 Juror’s Merit Award, Rio Brazos Exhibition
2014 Salon International accepted “Cross Mountain Trail”
2014 Plein Air Southwest accepted “Sheep Mountain”
2014 American Plains Artists Annual Show Art of the Plains accepted “Fall Creek”
2013 Oil Painters of America Online Fall Showcase accepted “Snow Line”
2013 Plein Air Magazine Salon bimonthly online juried show accepted “Last Color” and “Snow Line”
2012 Breckenridge Fine Arts Center Juried Show accepted “Fall Creek”
Selected Solo Shows, Group Exhibitions and Demonstrations
2018 Artist-in-Residence at Pottery Barn: 2 weeks of on-site demonstrations and sales, Fort Worth, TX
2017 Solo Show of 25 large and 15 small works at Fischer Galleries, Jackson, MS
2016 Group Show, 4 Landscape Painters, Keller City Hall, TX
2014-2015 Exhibition at Preservation is the Art of the City, Fort Worth Historic Society
2014 Exhibition, Broadview at Fort Worth Nature Center
2012 Demonstration on “Making Strong Compositions” at Lake Granbury Art Association
2012 Group Show, Plein Air Artists of North Texas, DFW International Airport
Artist Tags:
oil, contemporary, impressionist, painterly, trees, floral
