ABOUT ME - "ARTIST STATEMENT"

Artist Statement  
Growing up in the Mississippi Delta has a strong impact on my art. The Delta is expansively flat and yet complex, with linear planes created by farmland, wooded areas and open fields that repeat, one after another, toward the horizon. My work reflects this complexity, but the Delta does not limit my art.  As I travel, whether in the United States or abroad, I capture experiences and feelings of place. Once in my studio, I often express these experiences in a spontaneous and fluid manner, beginning with just a basic idea, or express these experiences in a more structured and planned manner. Either way,  as I incorporate design elements, images, shapes, and layering techniques, the work itself guides me and I find the journey of discovery personally fulfilling. What I want to communicate with this body of work I've included is to show how my  artistic originality can incorporate weathered structures as if they've  grown  from the earth and have become woven into the landscape.  I can also deconstruct the creative elements of my paintings from more realistic to extreme loose and dynamic expressions on paper. Through many years as a professional artist, I have developed my unique style that continues to evolve.  Though I paint for myself I invite the viewer to enjoy my work and arrive at his or her own interpretation of what they see. Whether plain air, or in my home studio, putting paint to paper is what I love to do.