Artist Statement

I have taught and painted regularly in New Mexico since my residency at the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos in 1997.  With a passion  for color and shape, I am always drawn to the high desert forms of the southwest.  Translating those forms into semi-abstract paintings is  part of the challenge.  My preference is to paint on site and feel the immediacy of the  subject matter, but I also enjoy developing the painting further, on its own terms, away from the scene before my eyes.  I often do second and third paintings based on my own original version, moving things around and revising composition and drama. My experience and training as an historian also influences my work, for I am always interested in meaning and often incorporate historical and cultural perspective and symbol into my paintings