I've had a lifelong love of art and have been creating it since I was a child. I just loved those purple crayons! Now I work in watercolor, acrylics and pen and ink, though once in a while I still drag out the crayons...It's very meditative.

I am primarily a self-taught artist, but have had a few art courses along the way. I enjoy painting ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals), tiny trading card size (2.5" x 3.5") original works of art that are colorful, whimsical and fun to do; as well as OSWOA (Original Small Works of ARt) that are 4"x6".

I also enjoy doing larger, more detailed paintings based on old black and white photographs (circa 1880-1930). The best thing about working from black and white is that it allows me to get inventive and play with the colors without being tied to realism. But no matter what I'm painting, the common theme in all my work is my love of color.

My favorite artists are: Vincent Van Gogh for his bold, inventive colors and energetic brushstrokes; J.M.W. Turner for his vital, expressive use of yellows; and Maxfield Parrish for his magical use of blues and mystical themes. 

 To quote Mr. Parrish:

 "Probably that which has a stonger hold on me than any other quality is color. I feel it is a language but little understood; much less so than what it used to be. To be a great colorist - that is my modest ambition. I hope someday to express the child's attitude towards nature and things; for this is the purest and most unconscious. For after we have 'gone through it all' we seem to come back again some day to our first impressions, with just a bit of worldly experience thrown in to make us conscious how delightful they are."  

See art...Love art...Buy art...Do Art!