artist statement

“Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation.” CHARLES COOK

My work focuses on relaying the voice of the landscape. I strive to create imagery that moves the viewer to re-establish their ancient connection with nature and the earth. My inspiration comes from my relationship and experiences with nature and my desire to share how I perceive the essence of the natural world. At a very early age I felt a spiritual connection with the ways of the landscape. As a child I would go to nature to seek comfort and solitude –there was a ‘spiritual connection’ there . . . Having reverence for nature was my first step toward a sense of spiritual connection with the life giving force of this universe.

Joseph Campbell, when writing about creativity in his book “The Mythic Dimension”, (p.154) explains:

“In one of the Upanishads it says, when the glow of a sunset holds you and you say ‘Aha,’ that is the recognition of the divinity. And when you say ‘Aha’ to an art object, that is a recognition of divinity. And what divinity is it? It is your divinity, which is the only divinity there is. We are all phenomenal manifestations of a divine will to live, and that will and the consciousness of life is one in all of us, and that is what artwork expresses.”

Interacting with the natural landscape and the process of creating this work has helped me to discover this ‘Aha’ moment –to become aware that the will to live and the consciousness of life is one in all of us –in all aspects of the natural world.

I was educated as a fine artist in traditional media for painting and drawing –later when working as a graphic designer and illustrator I became involved with digital media. Some of my current work is created with both traditional and digital media. I label these pieces “mixed media” and list the media in the order of its use in the creation of the artwork. Most often traditional media is used in 90% to 95% of the artwork’s creation.