Growing up around Philadelphia, the natural world was a constant obsession. Although I did not have the sweeping landscapes I would later discover out west, nature’s power was palpable. English Ivy over a row-house facade, towering Paulownia in a vacant lot, Turkey-Tail mushrooms on a dilapidated fence. Like the stray passel of possums wandering through the dimly lit streets on trash night, I was surviving here; but being and backdrop seemed incongruous. I needed to see more. After studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and many years grinding it out in the city, I knew it was the time to head west. 

In creating my work, I seek to explore the relationship my body has with this land, in all its geographical diversity. This land, the land that breathes with us rewards us for our engagement. Painting is the way I sustain my appreciation, how I live with the places that live in me long after I've stood on that ground. 

In my work, I seek to prioritize the sensation of being in nature beyond its appearance, and with oil, I can create earth. I offer these paintings as a surrogate for the visual phenomena that have moved me so deeply. The world changes, one second never the same as the last. I hope this work helps people stay with the beauty just a little bit longer.