About

INFLUENCES

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed drawing and painting. When I was about 17 I came across a couple of books, The Art of Andrew Wyeth, by Wanda Corn, and Andrew Wyeth, Dry Brush and Pencil Drawings, by Agnes Mongan, Philip Hofer and the Fogg Art Museum. Virtually every aspect of Wyeth’s work intrigued me; his subject material, composition, his preference for pencil, watercolor, dry brush, and tempera, to name just a few. I’ve been an admirer of his work ever since. In 2017 I went to an Andrew Wyeth retrospective celebrating his 100^th birthday with 100 of his works. To see them hanging as originals instead of pages in a book was a moving experience for me.

Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent would round out my three favorite artists. They’re known mainly for their oil paintings, but both loved painting with watercolor and were masters with it. They provide inspiration whenever I need it regardless of the medium they chose to use.

The Impressionists have influenced me; Cezanne, Degas, Monet and many others, not just for their work, but also for their attitude and their commitment.

I’ve never had formal training with art and so I suppose I could say I’m self-taught, which is not quite true. I own and have studied many, many books about art and art technique. I love to visit art galleries and art museums. There are many artists I’ve gotten to know along the way who have taught me so much and have provided so much inspiration. It takes a village, as they say. I think it was the famous businessman, Warren Buffett, who said ‘Have friends who are better than you.’ That is how I sometimes felt early on with many of the artists I’d met. But I never felt discouraged, only inspired, to learn as much as I could from them and to enjoy the journey of learning, which of course, never ends.

INSPIRATION

The natural world is my greatest inspiration when it comes to art. Drawing or painting a scene can draw me in deeply. The possibilities for creating art are limitless and for interpreting what you see in front of you.

A mountain scene can inspire me with all of its drama, but a simple winter farm field can be inspiring to me as well.

Luckily, I’ve never been intimidated by a blank sheet of watercolor paper or sketchbook sitting before me. I just think of the possibilities. Inspiration can be a contagious thing. On those days when it is hard to find, just putting pencil or paintbrush to paper with the smallest seed of an idea can often get the ball rolling.

Color, values of lightness and darkness, perspective, composition, and the story waiting to be told inspires me.