PAINTINGS en PLEIN AIR
As a painter, I’m outdoors year round attempting to capture on canvas the wonders and beauty of the four seasons. My paintings are neither cutting edge nor deep in metaphorical meaning, they’re simply stories about brief moments that I experience and witness during my excursions.
HANDMADE POTTERY
I’ve appreciated and collected pottery for decades. Several years ago, my wife enrolled us in a pottery class where I was given the opportunity to experience first hand, working in clay. I’m a dedicated, full time plein air painter, but after throwing my first small vase I was captivated by the enjoyment and satisfaction of creating pottery.
The forms I hand throw are reminiscent of the classic lines found in traditional arts & crafts. They range from tall, tapered vases with rounded shoulders to short, wide mouthed bulbous pots. As in my plein air paintings, nature plays a large role in my inspiration for the decoration of the pottery. Dragonflies, fish, lily pads, trees, wildflowers and landscapes are subjects that find their way onto the surface of my vases and pots. Some decorations are carved, some are painted with traditional brushes, while others incorporate a wax resist method. In my work, greens and earth tones are the dominate glaze colors. I strive to create pieces that are visually strong enough to be displayed as purely decorative items, but if desired, can also be functional containers for floral arrangements.
My goal as a potter is to create unique pieces that will compliment any setting through their sense of timelessness and classic representations.
GRAPHIC PRINTS AND MONOTYPES
The graphic prints I create are reminiscent of the stone lithographs, block prints or silkscreens produced during the Arts & Crafts and Art Deco movements. Images by Ludwig Hohlwein, Gustave Baumann and the WPA posters, particularly the National Parks series from 1938-1941, are works I greatly admire.
My prints are based on or inspired by my plein air paintings. And because these two mediums are so completely different, I'm curious and eager to see how I interpret my own work from oil to graphic and from working outdoors to working in front of a desk.
A monotype is a unique image produced by printing from a smooth plate, like glass or metal, that has been inked or painted with a
design. The design is then transfered from the plate onto a sheet of paper by pressing them together using your hands, or a burnisher tool, or a printing press. The number of approaches used to create the plated image is countless, yet a monotype impression results in a one-of-a-kind print that can not be replicated. Monotypes are quite new to me and I’m excited to continue experimenting with its vast possibilities.
FOUND OBJECT SCULPTURE
I think of building a found object art sculpture along the lines of
putting together a puzzle using pieces from many other puzzles and still have it turn out looking like something. It’s just a matter of seeing the possibility of art all around us. It’s in the everyday objects that are often overlooked. The key is to change our perception and see the potential in these ordinary items. This is the essence of found object art.
Found object art, also known as ‘objet trouvé’, encourages seeing the artistic potential in everyday items. It’s about looking at an object not for what it is, but for what it could be. A rusty nail can become a bird’s beak, a broken watch can transform into a butterfly’s wings, and a discarded bottle cap can turn into a sparkling gem. The possibilities are endless and the fun is boundless.
