Organic, 2026, Watercolor, colored pencil and gouache on Arches watercolor paper

Artist Statement on Naturalist Mixed Media Paintings and Drawings 2020-2026

I create these amalgams as celebration of the natural world, and everyday phenomena and natural miracles in the environment. I grew up with large organic gardens, pet rabbits, and have enjoyed a lifetime of artistic expeditions between cultivated and wild landscapes. On hikes through northern coastal forests, wooded properties and state trails, I encounter stone staircases carpeted in mosses. Bent cedar and hemlock strain to catch the sun; and cooing blue jays and tanagers dance between aspen branches. Doves nest in my tomato plants. The rabbits chin and mark their favorite beet leaves. On a sunlit morning that paints millions of shades, I freeze like a deer watching. Lichen bubbles and flakes, pops of crimson, magenta, carmine and vermillion flowers hide amongst sap green ferns, and tree bark is an etched minimalist artwork. Columbine hover like lamps, wild peas and grapevines appear woven in mesmerizing detail. I search the ground for rebellious tree roots, and new species of flowers to paint. Brilliant colors of sunrise or sunset pour through open crevices between trees and rock.

Every spring and summer, the land explodes visually, overlaying winter's cold palette with a supersaturated display of complimentary colors, velvety textures and diverse plant contours of fascinating ecosystems. Gardens burst, promising small miracles. If you slow down and enjoy taking time in nature; cranes, porcupines, thumbnail-sized toads and other spectacular wildlife will join you for moments. Some days I bring my painting case and sketchbook to set up a live session, cataloging all the colors and contours I observe. On other days, I bring my sketches to my art table. My imagination grows as wild and expansive as these forests as I use my paints and pencils to cultivate and curate a sense of harmony possible in nature.

Fall Reaping, October-November 2025, Watercolor, colored pencil and gouache on Arches watercolor paper

Peninsula State Park, June 2025, Mixed media watercolor, gouache and c0lored pencil on paper

Cave Point Park

Cave Point Park, July 2024, watercolor and gouache on paper

The Nature of Cities, 2024, Watercolor and gouache on mixed media paper