I feel my very best when I am outside, in nature. Making paintings of the natural world is an act of gratitude for me. And it's really fun! My house is full of paintings of the mountains and rivers around me and also of places in nature I have lived in other times in my life. The walls give back a small reminder of what is the best of the planet. When I make a painting, I try to capture the spirit of the place. I love painting on site, because we experience nature with all of our senses and its that experience that I want to translate onto the canvas. When painting from photographs, I use my imagination. Once I start a painting, it really becaomes a dialog between me and the work, and I meld my experience of nature with formal requirements.