Art Inspiration

Becoming a master of light

In my current work, my biggest inspiration is the challenge of capturing a certain quality of glowing light and color. I want my paintings to appear as though they are lit from within, themselves a source of light as they hang on the wall.

The glowing light in my art is a metaphor for finding the light of a positive outlook amidst the often unbearable darkness in the world.

So, regardless of what subject I’m painting, I’m always asking myself, “What will make this painting glow?” I capture this elusive effect through the use of dramatic light and shadow, and through vibrancy of color.

Painting Trees: Pacific Northwest forests, California redwoods, tropical jungles, and beyond

One of the most prominent themes in my work is the forest and trees. Humans have a near-universal love of trees. We are primates, after all. Trees mean shelter, food, safety, fun, adventure, and childhood memories.

During the first months of my life, my parents lived in a log cabin in Olympia, Washington. I am told that I was a very colicky baby who cried all the time. The only thing that helped was when my mom would carry me in a basket so I was facing the sky, rocking and swaying with her footsteps as she hiked on wooded trails. As I gazed at the tree canopy above me, I became entranced, calm and quiet. I’ve always believed that something about that peaceful experience, of which I have no conscious memory, must have imprinted on my newborn brain.

In the face of climate change, trees are one of the biggest solutions to our collective problems. My art reminds residents of the Pacific Northwest and beyond of our shared love of our local forests, and our commitment to protect them.

I began painting trees during my college years, when I attended Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.

Then, years later, I moved to the west coast. I finally got to see the California redwoods in person in 2014. That incredible experience really made me fall in love with painting the forest all over again. I visit the redwoods as often as I can.

I love to travel, and no matter where I am in the world, I always seek out nature trails and take hundreds of photos. I’ve found inspiration for paintings in places I’ve visited: Sri Lanka, Hawaii, New Zealand, Belize, Costa Rica, and many other beautiful locales. You’ll find images of tropical foliage in some of my paintings, and trees native to the Pacific Northwest in others. It is all evidence of my practice of seeking out a particular kind of beauty everywhere I go.

Many of my paintings are filled with sparkling light, rainbow prisms, bursting crepuscular rays and lens flares. These colorful light effects are fun to paint, in the context of the peaceful shelter of a forest. As a result, my forest paintings are joyful, energizing images that give my viewers a peaceful feeling of wonder. I want to help people celebrate their own experiences of Earth’s beautiful forests.

Finding peace through our shared connection to nature

I use my art as a way to ground my own emotions and those of my viewers, bringing us back to a calm and centered state of mind. My paintings are especially powerful in health care and public spaces, as they bring peaceful nature imagery to people who need it, but may not have full access to spending time outdoors.

Through the past decade, I’ve increasingly thought of my art as a resource for mental health and wellbeing. In a way, every painting can serve as a meditation.

My obsession with creating calm and beauty is a direct reaction to things that are upsetting and ugly. By painting awe-inspiring images of things that I feel can be universally appreciated, my goal is to help calm and center other people. Calm and centered people are more effective people.

My art encourages self-reflection and intentionality of life purpose. Much of the symbolism in my work has addressed the immense challenge of trying to be my best self. I want to help others feel empowered to take on the same challenge in a way that allows them to experience beauty through the ups and downs of life.

Inspiration is everywhere

My body of past work is quite diverse. I have paintings depicting tree canopies and forests, plants in my garden and my neighborhood, flora and fauna, the sun and the sky. Additionally, I have a series of colorful images of solar eclipses and the cosmos. Earlier work includes the symbolically rich Tree of Life. I have done various portraits and landscapes. I have illustrated a book about the aurora borealis.

The common thread throughout all of my work is a celebration of humanity’s connection to the natural world.

My hope is that when people see my paintings, they will dwell upon how much they love this world, and that they’re not separate from it, but a part of it. Nature imagery has always helped me to zoom out and feel connected to the whole universe, to look at the big picture of my own life as well as all life on Earth.

My work celebrates the endless beauty of this world, inspires environmentalist values, and evokes the calm, grounded feeling that humans have when they connect deeply with nature.  

My art has a peaceful and healing effect on viewers. I love creating things that make people happy.