I started to paint landscapes for environmental reasons. As the planet changes due to environmental destruction, I figured, I better paint nature while I still have a chance to see it in person. What started as a responsibility now has turned into a romance. I now connect with nature in a way that is tied to my emotions and color. This brings me great peace and joy in painting.

When I find a natural landscape I admire, I take a reference photo, which I then map on canvas. I also will edit the reference, freeing it from buildings, paths, and any other devices put there by humans.  When the underpainting is dry, it’s time to pick colors that fire up the rods and cones in my eyes.

While painting, I use the landscape before me as a guide for color placement because nature produces the best, most intense hues. I paint textures and details that emphasize and highlight the scene.

Over time, the emotional connection to the painting and colors deepens. I added colors not found in the original landscape reference, but they somehow feel right once incorporated. What starts as a landscape photograph turns into a ball of color and emotion spreads on the canvas.