Artist Statement: The goal of my work as an artist is to create a painting that will fill a room with the mood of a dramatic scene inspired by the natural wilderness. The way the light reflects off the water, the eerie mist on a cold winter’s day, the orange glow of golden hour at peak leaf season or the overwhelming hope of a green spring day. To me, artwork is meant to lift your spirit and through the paint of a brush and color theory this is accomplished in my work. My process starts with the excitement of going on a hike, that is when inspiration strikes. I sometimes take all my supplies outside and work on small plein air paintings or take a million photos and work on large paintings in the studio, creating work inspired by the moment outside. My favorite subjects are where water meets land; waterfalls, rivers, lakes and swamps. To me this combination of earth and water are the absolute muse. As someone who studied illustration (the process of visual translation of text) to me the water tells a story. The trees, grasses, leaves, wind and light all dance around the water as if the water is the main character and they are the supporting cast. The ever changing elements around the water making each painting unique even if I painted the same location a hundred times like Claude Monet's water lilies at Giverny.