My work is about my lifelong passion for and connection to nature. To convey the sense of mystery I find hidden there, I use its colors, shapes, textures, and shadows as elements in my work. Although seemingly chaotic, nature has its own structure. My response to nature’s movement and energy as well as its structure is what connects and grounds me. In the process of creating these artworks I recapture my original response to all that my world has to offer visually as well as emotionally. It is this wonder and beauty I want the viewer to see. I begin by making marks on a blank paper or canvas surface, using diluted acrylic paint. I then pour, drip, spatter, roll, slap and distress the surface with brushes, rags, plastic sheeting and other tools until the surface has layers of movement and texture. I avoid planning at this point in the process, keeping my mind open and responding to what is happening in the moment. When I feel sufficient layers of paint have been applied to the surface, I hang the piece on my studio wall. I usually work on several pieces at once. The artworks have no fixed top or bottom at this point and are rotated many times while applying the paint. I will spend several hours or days looking at the pieces, until images begin to emerge. I try not to respond too quickly since the images change and shift a great deal at first. I pay attention to the latent energy in each piece - the energy that seems to dictate the entire composition of the artwork. I will continue to rotate the piece often to see which position reveals the energy that dictates the result. When I begin to see shapes, lines and eventually forms appearing, I will slowly begin to define them, building up layers of paint with controlled brushwork. When working on canvas, I will often introduce layers of oil paint after the canvas has been sealed with acrylic medium. When working on paper, drawing tools such as colored pencil, charcoal or pastel are used as well.