Art crystallizes emotion, then fixes it in form. An artist must find balance between technical and emotional aspects of creating art. Artwork may demonstrate a high degree of emotion and innovation, but if it is technically flawed, then it is unlikely the artwork can be totally successful. If its foundation is based on an inadequate understanding of perspective, ineffective value relationships, or bad composition, it will likely fail as an effective work of art. The strength of a work comes from the foundation established by the composition and other technical elements. It’s important to base a work on this foundation, but art must go beyond technical skill.

An artwork needs feeling to transcend from ordinary, to extraordinary. The artist should have a resonance, or spiritual connection with the subject. This sensitivity balances form with content and breathes life into the work.

I want my artwork to engage the viewer in a way that even the most commonplace scenes of life take on a compelling significance. My work depicts everyday scenes that are more about quality of light, presence, or sense of place, than a specific site. In these scenes, I strive to cut beneath the surface description to find an inner quality that makes these places and moments unique. To accomplish this, I infuse my art with both a technical and emotional response to the subject. My artwork is an attempt to transmit my feelings through form, mind, and hand, to bring to the viewer my vision of the world. Sharing my vision is challenging, engaging, compelling, absorbing, and satisfying. Distilling an emotional response to a subject, then capturing it in form is what motivates me as an artist. This involves “dancing with the muse,” where technical skills, feelings, experience, and wisdom all synthesize into a magical process that captivates, energizes, and inspires me.