After graduating from Hope College with a degree in art and theatre, I got married, built a house in the West Michigan countryside, raised two boys, and continued to study oil painting on my own. Traditional oil painting has long been an abiding passion of mine, drawing inspiration from the masters of light, atmosphere, and form, most notably Rembrandt and J.M.W. Turner. Furthermore, the Hudson River school painters and the French Impressionists have had a profound impact on my landscape painting. However the American Tonalists of the post-Civil War era, particularly George Inness, have been my most profound influence. I have earned many awards from juried competitions throughout Michigan. My work is collected across the United States and is represented by the J. Petter galleries in Douglas. "Mine is a visionary approach to Landscape painting that is spiritual and poetic. The old master's style. The use of dramatic light and vivid colors to create a memory." Landscape painting provides a calming escape from the complexity and chaos of the world, offering simplicity and order. In my art I strive for tranquility, harmony, and balance. Effective design, harmonious color schemes, and expressive paint handling are essential to achieving this. I am committed to creating visual poetry that awakens emotion, guided solely by artistic expression. The rural landscapes of the Midwest provide me with endless amounts of inspiration. I capture the essence of pastoral scenes, unified by a distinct light and atmosphere, often at dawn or dusk. I convey a sense of mystery of place, drawing upon my own memory and intuition rather than painting on site or from reference photos. The simple composition and absence of narrative impart a sense of tranquility and introspection, evoking the feeling of being alone in nature.