LANDFORMS

Concepts of space, of Earth and its horizons; 

of the density of matter and the colors of gas--

these ideas inspire me as an artist.  

Although the stories of landforms and atmospheres

have been told thousands of times

and in a myriad of ways, 

I find within these objects and phenomena

a meditative and untouched space,

worthy of my own inquiry and documentation.

Charcoal sections show the gravity and density of forms and create a set of subtle edges across the horizon. These are organized in frames, suggesting a passage of time as the masses respond in subtle shifts to the movement of the Earth. The surrounding atmospheres are alternately weightless and saturated. I allow some measured lines to emerge, retaining the memory of the fresh drawing surface. 

Nebulae

Inspired by Hubble space photography and by stargazing on clear nights, I create drawings that refer to the processes that form our universe.   Particularly fascinating are nebulae--the beautiful clouds of gas that surround and envelop stars in stages from birth to death. Intrigued by the drama of space events that occur on a scale and in a time that can barely be imagined by human intelligence, I find a center of peace in depicting these moments in time.  Their names resonate an immense reality via the mind's eye and always yield imagery--Horsehead Nebula; Cat's Eye Nebula; Filament Nebula; Veil, Disc and Flame Nebulae. 

ATMOSPHERES

The works in Atmospheres are non-referential. For me, the paintings become exercises in fields and bands of color—revealed by the activity of sunlight behind clouds. While Earth's hues at sunset factor prominently in the paintings of this series, they inform depictions of atmospheric activity around distant objects as well.

SKETCHBOOKS

In this gallery, I show a selection of images from sketchbooks old and new. Moments passed during travel as landscapes flashed by; fields of clouds viewed from an airplane window; imaginary clusters of forest; or renderings of places visited--all present a problem. How can an idea, registered in the mind's eye, become tangible on the page by using the simplest tool? A pen, a pencil, a set of marks, deep space probed with light and shadow or quickly rendered with series of strokes, an object observed and explored with line and shadow...these are some of the problems of drawing. 

There is a meditative quality to this experience, as the eye guides the mind and the hand responds.