LAYERS OF DAY, 48x48, 2026
the artist at Joshua Tree National Park, California
“New energy for a new year” my daughter Jessica said when she first saw my new work. I think that summed it up pretty well. I started to feel a little redundant in the work I was producing last year. Not everything had that spark or energy that artwork can have. I can tell that a painting is finished when a painting can live outside of the studio by itself. It rises to the occasion where it needs to be untethered from me and go out into the world. This new work I am so pleased with is satisfying something. I need to continue on this journey with paintings to keep me engaged and committed with art. I have re-examined the horizon line and where I place it. It dedicates what and where I focus every painting. I’ve lowered my view to consume more of terrain and maybe less of atmosphere. Re-examining how I paint it, what colors I use that can show temperature, vegetation, minerals of the earth, time of year — and trying to have a unique way of expressing myself and questioning the way a landscape painting can be done that is unique to me and shows my voice.
