In the world we see only distortions of the fundamental idea, but art, by imagination, may lift itself to the height of this idea. Art is therefore akin to creation - Leo Tolstoy
I have been an artist all my life with lots of encouragement from my parents! I use bright colors to create an emotion of happiness. I love colors and associate them with all the happier moments of my life, and I want to
create that happy place for my art collectors. I paint outside (en plein air) on occasion, but love to create in my studio where I can compose my paintings and dive deep in the process of creating from my vision. This helps me express my perception of nature without duplicating it. I try to capture the essence of the subject by using short strokes of colorful paints. Our eyes mix the colors together to create the image rather than mixing the colors on the canvas, this creates energy in the painting. I find inspiration from the landscapes around me. I use my phone or take my camera with me and take pictures when I find an interesting tree, field, cloud etc. Before I being painting, I use several reference pictures to plan my painting. I compose my painting by incorporating some elements of the various reference pictures into a sketch. The sketch guides my painting. When I travel around my town, I can’t stop admiring the different elements in nature that are most interesting. Through my art, I place these interesting elements together to show the beauty of Iowa. Once the process is complete, my heart fills with joy and there is a sense of great satisfaction. I am working on exploring more of this creative process and hope to create and share the joy with you.
