I started seriously looking at paintings when I was about 22. I had just finished with Larry Edwards into to art class at Memphis State an it had opened a whole new world of possibilities to me. One weekend while my parents were away I went over to their house to wash some clothes and scrounge some food. My mother had been taking a painting class with some friends and had set up shop in my brother’s old bedroom. The art supplies were there…the house was empty and I had some time to kill so I painted a picture of the plant that was sitting on a stand by the window. As a prank on my mom I left it on her easel with no indication of who did it. Since that day I have been a painter.
The list of artists who have influenced me along the way is too long to even think about. Here are a few: Van Gogh of course, Maynard Dixon, Edgar Payne, Birger Sandzen, and the Group of Seven are recent influences on my work. Since my return to California in 1997 I have painted the landscape. I consider the possible subject matter to be endless. Northern California has a rich tradition of world-renowned landscape painting to draw from. I like the idea of expanding on that rich history,
building on what has been done.
