Beauty All Around






           There is beauty all around.The trick is filtering out the eyesores. I am  constantly on the look out for inspiration. Different perspectives, cropping, angles all help me view the world more artistically. Art is always on my mind. I try to have my camera handy. You never know when you will see something magical. It could happen at the most unlikely moment. Most of my paintings originate in photos.





This is a photo of my reflection in the car rear view mirror while waiting in a line at a drive through window.  

 

To tighty render or To loosely express



 -Lilly-oil stick on paper-8x11"-



-Love of an Angel -oil on canvas-18x24"

          I was trying to pick a piece to enter in an art contest. Looking at some of the previous winners it seemed most were photo realism. They were of course very good. It is just I wonder why all tight realism. Is there a place for the more expressive art?

The sunflower

This is a painting I did last summer. I intended this piece to give the viewer a feeling beauty,youth and romance .

-The Sunflower- oil stick on watercolor paper- 14x18'-

 Please let me know what you think . I hope you enjoy it.

Portrait and Figure Paintings






  



-Girl in the Grass- oil stick on watercolor paper-14x18"

        This is the subject I always go back to. The human form is my favorite to paint. People are fascinating to look at . Whether a close detailed portrait or a shadowy distant figure. There is nothing else that draws my eyes in to study and analyze more closely. The texture and many colors of the skin for one. I am not just talking about the tans ,brown,and whites.  Colors the reds oranges, yellows, greens blues even purples are what I look for. The shadowing, reflective and transparencies you see on skin are beautiful. Eyes are another captivating feature. The way the light shines and the flecks of colors dance on the iris fascinate me. Capturing the individuals characteristics and their emotions at that moment is very important to me. These reasons and many more are why I will always be a figure painter.

The Creative Soul

        Art makes my heart sing. Without time to create art I feel empty and unbalanced. I am only truly happy when I am creating. Creating can be many things. Painting , Drawing and Photography of course  my favorites but also other things decorating, fashion, gardening,writing,cooking, ect... I am sure there are many of you who can relate.

My Education

    


       I have a bachelors degree in fine art from the Columbus College of Art and Design. There I studied many things from the basics of design and color to how to putting on a professional art show. My favorite classes were oil painting, figure drawing, photography and watercolor.
                 

                       Currently

        Oil painting continues to be my true love. Most of my current works are oil paint on canvas or oil stick on watercolor paper. Photography is also very important. I am constantly taking photos. First because I use my own photo images as reference for my paintings. Second because photography is a quick way for me to get my creative fix.