artist statement

Spending childhood vacation years in the Sierra Mountains, Sequoia National Park, Lake Tahoe and other areas in California imprinted the wonder of nature upon me. Northern California environmental issues are my art source: population, urban/rural, climate change, wildlife, and natural resources are all topics for art study. Logging and forest management have been my recent focus and in particular, the redwood tree.

Painting a tree is the battle between cliche and possibility. How do I paint a tree without painting the entire tree from treetop to roots? How can I represent a 325’ tall object in all its glory and magnificence on a 32” tall piece of paper or even a 60” tall canvas? My solution has been to paint the interiors of redwood trees, coast and sequoia: their shapes, their colors and their incredible beauty. I approach closely and record the bark and openings. The history of their aging is there in the wood—marred, burned and charred, graffiti-laden, smooth, textured or curly. Logging was a large economic force in California and still is. Within the old redwoods not cut, there are visual graphics to be read of climate change and human intervention.

I relish the experience of visiting groves, traveling through California, and recording these amazing behemoths. I want to reveal the history of these survivors and portray their experience through the visual records of my paintings. Hopefully, my artworks will create dialogue and inquiry as to where these trees are located, and what their status is. I want to spark interest in visiting them, acknowledge their value and help in preserving them.