Artist Statement: I paint the things that I experience and find visually interesting. Generally, I'm a pleinair painter and work in both oil and pastels. Subject matter certainly plays an important part of why I paint but secretly, it's more about the abstract elements such as verticals and horizontals, shapes and values, composition, color, and light.  Painting is actually discovering the poetry of these elements and their relationships. It took me years before that concept actually became a reality.