I create art because it is just something I have always done in one form or another since I was very young. Even while holding a full time job, I always found time for art.  Since retiring I have spent most of my time seriously trying to improve my artistic skills. My paintings all have special meaning to me. I paint places that I have been, things that I love and have an emotional attachment to and things that are just beautiful. I feel that I am painting memories. There is no room for ugly things in my life.

 I paint in a realistic but not a photographic style. I love color and tend to exaggerate it in my paintings. When I see a landscape that fills me with awe or a beautiful flower, I want to share that feeling with others. I want them to feel the beauty, peace, calm and tranquility that I feel and appreciate the nature that God created. This comes across most strongly in my plein air paintings and my paintings of flowers. I have a special affection for Hollyhocks, country roads, farms and barns. They remind me of my childhood on my grandparent’s farm. I also love the Arizona desert and try to get there once a year to paint.