My art is inspired by my first notions of joy, which I discovered in nature sometime in my early childhood.
I grew up on a river in South Georgia, where the waters slow down and settle, and much of my childhood was spent outdoors. I believe that the beauty and mystery of these places were pointing me to something that was beyond the real, something spiritual. Was it my first experience of joy? Whatever it is, that is what I would like to share through my paintings.
Lately I have been contemplating the paintings of George Inness, who wrote: . . . "the highest art is where there has been most perfectly breathed the sentiment of humanity. Rivers, streams, the rippling brook, the hillside, the sky, the clouds - all things that we see -can convey that sentiment if we are in the love of God and the desire of truth."
My oil paintings begin with an initial idea or impression and evolve slowly through many glazes.
