PRACTICE

My paintings present the theater of landscape. I work en plein air and in the studio. I paint outdoors to feel the energy of a place. I seek the expression of landscape through movement, shape, and color. My studio is set up with both oil and encaustic work spaces. There, I reimagine my plein air works by upscaling and shifting into other media. In all my work, I extract the energy, gestures, and geometries of nature.

SUBJECTS

My primary subjects are the glacial terrain of western New York; the hills, vineyards, and waters of the Finger Lakes region; and the seasonal atmosphere of Lake Ontario. I live on the Lake Ontario shoreline and study its behavior every day. This saturated exposure to Ontario has made the lake a constant companion that challenges me with its endless personalities. 

MEDIA

I work in oil, encaustic wax, and drawing media. Oils are my lifelong media choice. The qualities of oil paint align with how I think, and I love the look, feel and smell of the paint. Encaustic wax engages my heart and head because it calls for balancing aesthetic choices and managing the science of the wax. My encaustic works are made with direct painting, layering, building, carving, inlay, and mixed media. The wax itself inspires ideas as heat and flame bring control and surprise to every painting. I experiment and push the properties of the wax, engaging in new conversations that come with each piece. Because of my practice of painting outdoors, I’ve come up with a portable camp-stove work station so I can work with wax outdoors without electricity. And drawing with graphite is my go-to choice when I need a reset or want to try new ideas.