How long have you been painting?

I have been painting for about 25 years – starting out with oils, moving to Watercolors, Acrylics and Colored Pencils. These days my preferred media are Oils and Watercolors.

What other artists or movements inform your work/aesthetics/sensibilities?

Of I admire a lot of the 19^th and 20^th century artists – the impressionists such as Mary Cassat, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin etc….. as well as the colorful cubist paintings of Robert Delaunay and the German expressionists  like Franz Marc and Gustav Klimt – to name only a few.

How would you describe your work?

I love strong and vivid colors, both in my Oils and Watercolors. I like to experiment with everything  ranging from abstract, impressionist to representative. I am very spontaneous about my art – most of the time my paintings are not totally planned out – I create and improve as I go along. My mood dictates  - unless I paint a commission, of course.

What are your motivations for creating?

The locale around me inspires and influences me greatly! I enjoy the beauty of the Everglades, the wildlife and the South West Florida coast – I feel the urge to try and capture some of this bounty of nature and wildlife all around me. Wherever I go, my eyes are always finding new  painting subjects – be it a boat, a bird or  palm  fronds swaying in the breeze.

How, if at all, have the events of 9-11 impacted your art making?

The horrific events of 9 – 11  shocked all of us and made it plain that we can no longer take our freedom and our way of life for granted. I added  some patriotic motifs to my work, such as flags – and  -  painting them -  helped me process and work through the grief and bitter outrage  I felt.

What do you find visually stimulating right now?

Again, I would have to say - South West Florida!

No winter blues here! Gorgeous colors all around me! My roses and hibiscus are in full bloom, the subtropical sunsets are spectacular, the Gulf of Mexico is as vividly blue as ever, “my” blue Heron comes around to be fed every day, the coconuts are ripening on the palms – it all has impact and inspires me bto paint every day!

What would you like your fellow EBSQ artists and our collectors to know about you and/or your work?

I am happy to have found EBSQ a couple of months ago and I am proud to be a member!

There could not be a group of artists anywhere more supportive of each other!

Locally, I am very involved with – and serve on the board of directors of the Marco Island Art League.

My work is regularly displayed and sold in juried gallery exhibitions at the Art League, the Gift shop etc.

I am thrilled anew every time I sell a painting – my eBay sales have been quite satisfactory since I started selling with them 18 months ago. Honesty and Integrity in my art sales are very important to me – and it is very gratifying to have collectors buy from me repeatedly!

I enjoy painting tremendously, and I work very hard to continually evolve and grow as an artist.