Words are an important part of the process in my work, and I generally know the title of a painting before my brush touches the canvas. Daydreams and Apple Trees was the first of these three, all finished this year. Then came Cattails and Memories, and next Sunset and the Lotus. They are a tangle of inspiration—the ebb and flow between present and past, place associations, and the experiences that follow us through time. I’ve included a bit of story about each panting in the post.

These three paintings are inspired by the high desert, along the Turquoise Trail, in northern New Mexico …the cold glow of its moonlit nights, the warmth of its ever present sun, and the gentle beauty of its arid landscapes.

Sometimes there is more of a direct relationship between specific places (their shapes & colors) and my work, like seen in these images, but more often than not my work is a conglomeration of places, landscapes, and experiences.

Last night’s sunset from my studio in New Mexico and a painting from five years ago in Arizona. …another example of how I see things and how I see nature and places.

I’ve digitally blocked in elements of my sunset photo to illustrate how I see compositional elements in a landscape, and to provide some context for how places inspire my work.

…in gratitude and reciprocity, in remembering, and ritual—here we are whole.