I’m a painter and printmaker inspired by big skies and open landscapes. I simplify shapes, saturate them with color and highlight them with contrast. My newest works focus abstractly on the prairie. I take a daily look at the patch of big bluestem growing in my small, urban front yard. This graceful, resilient plant reminds me of the subtle changes in color, texture and line that Nebraska’s native prairie landscapes provide.
Mixing oil paint and wax allows me to create paintings that hold depth, complexity and texture, some of the same qualities about the prairie that I appreciate. My painting process is physically active. I use rollers, wide blades and brushes to apply paint, then blot, scrape and carve with knives and points to reveal underlying colors. These lines and colors convey motion and emotion.
