About The Artist

From my youth on, I have appreciated fine works of art. Pencil drawings and sketches led to my interest in painting, which has been an abiding passion for over 43 years.

As a self-taught artist, I feel I have grown in my skills through disciplined observation and deep study of many of the great artists from the past and present. Some of my greatest contemporary influences include David Leffel, Richard Schmid, Morgan Weistling, and plein air landscape master Matt Smith.

I also greatly admire the work of many of the historic California Plein Air painters such as Edgar Alwin Payne, John Frost, and William Wendt. Their bold brushwork, structural understanding of landscape forms, and authentic handling of light continue to inspire my outdoor studies.

Medium & Method

The rich color of oil is my favored medium. I am always striving to improve by varying my style from loose, free-flowing form and texture to delicate, detailed work—glazing colors to achieve a transparent, luminous glow.

I am continually drawn to palette knife painting, drawn to the vibrant tactile texture and fresh impressionistic characteristic of the finished canvas. The vast majority of my work is painted directly from life. While reference photos can occasionally assist in the studio, nothing replaces direct observation.

The Blessing of Plein Air

Plein air painting is a true blessing. Painting on location is the best way to observe the beauty of God's wonderful creation. I frequently take these small, spontaneous on-location studies back into my Binghamton studio to develop into larger finished canvases. Nothing makes an impression as to true color, subtle value, and atmospheric mood like working directly in the open air.