Artist Statement
I love to look at the world. Most of my art is the result of looking outward into the world around me. I translate what I see through my own vocabulary, into paintings and collage pieces. The shapes of the natural world excite me, especially the raw shapes of the earth. The north of Norway, the sand dunes of the Sahara, the islands of the South Atlantic/Antarctic passage as well as the Marin and Sonoma hills thrill me with the strength and simplicity of their forms. I struggle with translating the power I see in those shapes into art.

I also love people. For most of my life I have been drawing people. For the last 10 years, I have been part of a figure painting group in San Francisco that meets once a week with a model. Working on figures every week has been a constant challenge, and a great pleasure. Most weeks I make one 12" square figure painting. Some times it is just the face, sometimes the whole figure appears in the small square. I never know what will happen until I arrive and see the model. I love the challenge of working in a square form, it forces an emphasis on composition. My goal with the small figures is to balance the aspects of pure composition with attaining a sense of the character of the model. Not every week's work is a success, but the process is always valuable. When it "works" the exhilaration is addictive!

My collage work is typically made with either scraps of my own work on paper or of hand-painted watercolor paper. Often, I have an idea and start by painting colors on paper, then tearing them into small squarish shapes. I like the white edges that torn paper develops, they liven up the work. The size of the torn pieces depends on the over-all size of the piece. I enjoy the method of recycling my own work into new forms, and also making my own pieces. The closed circle feels right.

I have been influenced in my figure work by the great Alice Neel, whose portraits I greatly admire. Philip Pearlstein was an early influence, especially in composition. Barbara Winkelstein introduced me to oil sticks, and to a looser idea of figure painting. Lately, I have also been looking at Matisse's Moroccan paintings, for standing figures as well as the spare landscapes and interiors he did there. Other artists whose work I admire include Sean Scully, Mary Heilmann and Giorgio Morandi.