Almost all of my paintings are started outdoors, which allows me to have a magical connection with nature and a greater appreciation for living in the Bay Area.  My intention is not to replicate a scene exactly as it appears, but to express the emotional impression it imparts to me—the atmosphere, the memory, the sense of being in a living landscape or urban space. Through color, brushwork, and textures, I strive to capture the essence of place. I hope my paintings move beyond a literal depiction of reality or a specific site, and instead are understood as interpretive works that reflect a unique and personal response to the location I choose to paint.