In this series of paintings, I used acrylic paint giving the impression of a printed surface block print. After many layers of paint, the result is a smooth flat two dimensional surface that comes alive with color and form, seemingly moving before our eyes.

Every painting is an exercise. I study my new subject and ask, how can I change the way I see things?
I took a photo while hiking in Rattlesnake Canyon in Santa Barbara. The lighting was beautiful and there was flowing water in the canyon creek. I studied and drew from that photo dozens of times. I created an oil painting of the scene. It was that painting that showed me a way to interpret how I felt about what I saw, looking beyond the detail in the photo. With the painting Canyon #1, I reinterpreted the image, consciously painting symbolically, not impressionistic or abstract. I wanted a stylized interpretation, stylistic in representation.

The paintings in my current body of work are bright, bold and stylistic acrylic paintings. I love painting landscapes because it is such a broad expression of existence. Regardless of where we live, we are surrounded by landscape. As much as I feel comfortable with bucolic vistas, I feel equally at ease in urban landscapes. Some paintings contain a combination of the two.

Canyon

What am I seeing? Feeling? What are these shapes? What is that color? The negative space is as important as the focus of the painting. Normally there is so much going on I try to focus on a point, an idea, and try to simplify or clarify the composition by emphasizing shapes and lines.

Today with digital photography, we can create the perfect view. I strive to create the perfect feeling for the essence of the subject. And take back from technology and put simple back into my view.