Artist’s Statement
I grew up in a small town surrounded by rolling hills, and was always drawn to the rural landscape and the ever-changing colors & light.
Natural light is the best light for painting, and I like to work on location whenever possible. I want my paintings to capture the feeling of the day, a sense of the place, and the experience of being there, in nature.
In March 2020, I began to use my car as a studio, during the covid lock-down.
I needed to get out of the house, but there was no place to go. Then it dawned on me, I could park on a backroad, and paint in my car. It’s a small car, so there isn’t much elbow room. On the plus side, I have a sunroof, which not only lets in a lot of light, but also works as a solar heater on a cold, sunny day. (March is still winter in Central New York.) Many of the landscape paintings shown here were done in my car in 2020, before it warmed up enough to paint outside.
I also take many photos. In the past year I decided to try using binoculars as a zoom lens with my phone camera. I love the way it crops in on scenes way off in the distance that are otherwise inaccessible. I recently started a series of paintings using my “binoc-shots” as a source. The circular format is really different and inspiring. I will add more recent works as they are completed.
I use watercolors, acrylics, and oils.
When I teach, I often do demonstrations for my students in the media of their choice. I enjoy them all for their different properties. Watercolors are the easiest to transport, (and less messy in my car), so a top choice for pleine aire painting and traveling. I am a big fan of Golden acrylics. Their “open acrylics” are more like oils - they dry more slowly - and are safer to use in my in-home studio. I hope to use my oil paints this summer, when I can open windows, or paint on the porch.
Someone once said, if you want to learn about a subject, teach it. It is true - teaching art really makes you think about how and why you do what you do. It has also guided me to try new techniques and methods. Teaching keeps me thinking about art, and it’s inspiring to be surrounded by creative people.
