Upon starting the journey of becoming an artist, one wants to paint what they see in front of them. This would be ‘portraying’ the scene for the viewer. My epiphany recently was to ‘evoke’, not just to portray. I said to myself, “make Art”. From that moment forward, my paintings have taken on a shift that did not exist until that awakening. I remember seeing a painting of a front door to a home and it stopped me in my tracks. It was not a portrayal of a door, it was evocative; it was Art. The door was a deep red, the roof above was aged copper verdigris and the stucco walls a buttery yellow. But the sunlight, the shadows and the loose brushwork made this painting an incredible piece of art.

I began my artistic journey at a very late stage, but my background as an architect provided the ability to draw. Lori Putnam told me, “If your drawing is not working, don’t keep going because it won’t improve on its own!” Words I’ve never forgotten. Other important mentors in my growth have been Chuck Marshall, Roger Dale Brown, Marc Hanson, Bill Fletcher and Kay Hurley.