Having experience in watercolor, oil, and soft pastel, I always return to acrylic, one of my first loves. It’s flexible and works well with my love of creating pieces quickly to achieve the rough, loose look I want.

I start by applying modeling paste and fiber paste to the canvas to add some texture, and proceed to paint the entire canvas with a bright underpainting (pink, coral, or orange). I build layers and textures starting with the darkest forms and working to the lightest. The foreground is often the first to be painted in with a rough brush and thick paint to capture the textures of nature.

The darks of the clouds are next, followed by all the many value and temperature changes of the clouds, which is where I get lost in the process. Each pieces is finished with the spaces of the sky; a reverse way of painting so as to let the pink underpainting sparkle through along the edges and between layers.

I would call myself an impressionist painter (drawing from colors, textures, and themes from my all-time favorite artist, Claude Monet) who loves being true to nature and capturing the fleeting essence of a moment. Those moments that leave an impression on your mind, like those vibrant unforgettable colors that the sky can reveal.

I am always drawn to dramatic lighting, colors, contrast, and textures while also capturing a softness in the overall color palette. The Colorado sky is a particular inspiration with its unreal sunset colors and cloud formations.

I want to remind the viewer to look up at the sky. The worries of life fade away when you take in the expanse of it, when you realize of little we are and how great our Creator is. I want my work to emulate a sense of calm to the viewer and bring them into the presence of peace, even amongst the uncertainty of reality.