“For me, being an artist means taking some risks and trying new ways of applying paint or approaching subject matter. Call it what you like: experimentation, growth, changing it up, or just plain having fun. For me, it’s necessary in keeping my creative sanity.

This newer approach is basically void of photographic reference. However, on occasion, I have used photos (for reference) to complete a painting. I quickly found that this way of painting is very interpretive and open-ended (and can be incredibly frustrating if you’re not open to all possibilities). One or two too many strokes and the painting is over-worked. A lot of the time these images are built off a few simple marks that are subconsciously made over a blocked-in horizon line or a previously scraped painting and built into a somewhat representational form.

This process is so contradictory to my normal or traditional starting process. It has produced many new discoveries on the canvas, but the most profound is its positive effect on my creative esteem and awareness. The work is looser, less descriptive, more expressive, and more sketch-like than my signature work.”