What happens during the process of creating has always been the absolute heart of my work. Moments of connectedness, surprise and inner awareness often happen prayerfully while in the field, working at the easel or over a hot plate of wax. My creating is, in a sense, an act of praise. My subject matter seems to hop about randomly from landscape, botanicals, fish, and animals. The subjects common ground being my falling in love with and wanting to get closer to it. My current work is divided into two parts, Plein Air and Encaustic. All inspired by the flat farm land just west of the Mississippi River.




My Plein Air paintings were born of a long love of Fly fishing. After years of stalking fish, I decided to swap my gear and begin stalking landscapes. The thrill of capturing a landscape before the light changes is much like the timely catch of a brown in a quiet pool. There must be energy and economy in each stroke or cast. A moment can quickly be lost. I find a directness and energy in my field work that can only be a result of being outdoors “in” the landscape. Feeling the wind, sun and light; that translates to the panel. As the experience is rich, so is the color.




Encaustic, wax and paint; mixing, heating, moving. Again the process compelled me to explore. These Encaustic landscapes began as a means of bringing the energy and directness that I found in the field back into the studio. The nature of wax; its velvet texture and fluid transparency create a dreamy quiet quality. These paintings call on memory not reality. The Encaustic landscape not only moves the viewer to a particular place, it also draws the viewer to enjoy the richly layered surface. The unpredictability of the wax; how it melts and moves provides a process of accident, surprise and response. This dialogue was often met by letting go to the movement of wax; sometimes carving away or laying a hard edge line

The charge to capture a landscape on site and the quiet letting go to melting wax in the studio have brought about a personal sense of freedom and connectedness to this study. I am grateful.