Color is important to me. I see it first. It makes me take notice. It can be visceral and powerful. If the colors are combined with a compositional, lighting or textural element, its power grows. This observation of ordinary objects can become remarkable in a painting by using scale, composition and color. I strive in my art, through elements of reality and abstraction, to make visible what most people take for granted in their visual reality. I wish to express something positive, artistically serious, and perhaps a little whimsical.

My earlier work was influenced by time spent in Home Depots. I painted images of objects, often mashing them up to create very graphic, colorful and attention-grabbing paintings. My intent was not to portray an exact interpretation but to create a sense of delight in having the viewer see the object(s) and the abstraction.

The pandemic pulled me out of retail environments and gave me the opportunity to more closely observe the world close to home and all around me. I draw on the sense of style and imagery developed in my earlier work to highlight issues such as our overuse of plastic water bottles and the litter I encounter each day.

In both instances, I explore—through content, color, and composition—the unexpected beauty of these objects: the way light reflects off their surfaces, absorbs surrounding hues, and how negative space becomes essential in defining the environment around them. My intention is that by creating a visually compelling image, I might raise awareness, even in a small way, about our impact on the environment while transforming ordinary objects into something remarkable.

In my most recent work, I find myself increasingly drawn to the color and light present in the world around me at any given moment. Sometimes it’s a particular natural setting; other times it’s the way an object’s color asserts itself against its background. These moments capture my attention and become the starting point for a painting.

Through brushwork and the physical act of painting, I try to convey my personal response to what I see—creating work that, at its most fundamental level, is simply beautiful.

The world can be harsh and chaotic. Offering something beautiful to contemplate feels, to me, like a meaningful act.