Artist Statement

My painting practice is a way into seeing the world at a slower pace. Being present in a space, especially places that are new to me, inspires me to look deeply into the colors, movement, and atmosphere of the world around me. I primarily work from direct observation to create landscapes, interiors and portraits, which dwell in the ordinary. Currently, I am creating a series of paintings that study the streets and people of Philadelphia from the point of view of my studio window. I aim to find moments of quiet in a crowded and busy world. 

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Painting is a way of recording the space, but also the time I’ve spent in it. I remember the sounds and the smells and the feelings I had while making a painting, and this enables me to keep the memory fresh. Paying close attention to how light and shadows interact with each other throughout a scene, I seek to capture this energetic exchange of contrasting colors and values through the atmosphere of my paintings. I am drawn to the textures and inherent personalities of the materials I use, primarily oils and linen, and try to allow them to maintain their integrity, even as they are acting as a vehicle for my interpretation of a scene. 

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Drawing from a rich tradition of plein air painting, particularly impressionism’s essential quest for capturing light, my work is my experience and memory of the places I’ve been, am, and will go. There is beauty in the fleeting moment–a beauty that can be held through art.