Greetings and thank you for visiting my site. I am mostly a self-taught artist who took up drawing and painting as a child. I grew up in the outskirts of Los Angeles and graduated with a degree in Business. After getting a “practical” degree, getting married, helping to raise two boys, and also working as a Registered Nurse, I’m now in a place where I can finally focus on art full-time and it has been such a joy. Having lived in New Mexico (Albuquerque and Santa Fe) for 18 years, I consider myself lucky to live in a place with natural beauty, cultural diversity and open spaces. The dry climate, sunny days and high altitude only add to this beauty. While Los Angeles and surrounding areas has its own type of beauty, it also has fog, haze and smoke in the atmosphere that does not lend itself to clear skies. Tall buildings obstruct views. Haze blocks clouds and light. Here in Santa Fe, it doesn't take long to get to a National Forest for a day of hiking, sketching, plein air, photography and gorgeous clear views all around, often panoramic and sometime 360 degrees.

As an artist who creates landscapes in addition to other subject matter, creating art is a spiritual process inspired by the surrounding beauty of a place. Oil paint is an amazing vehicle to voice that inspiration. I start with an underpainting of thin oil paint usually a crimson or cadmium red. My art is a reflection of the colors, shapes, shadows and forms within this beauty. I allow this underpainting to peak through in the layers that are to come. This helps to establish the main colors of the painting. I then build up the painting with heavier applications of oil, using bristle brushes on the canvas. As a result, you can actually see the brushstrokes. These brushstrokes give the subject matter form. Sometimes, a landscape calls for a luminous glow such as in High Desert Sands. In this case, I built up layers of color using a solvent to thin the color to create a glazing effect to achieve that luminescence.

In addition to landscapes, I do commissioned pet portraits, using layers of pastel on sanded pastel paper. This has been super fun and its always rewarding to see the pet owner's reaction upon receiving the portrait.

I strive to create one painting per week. I'm looking forward to creating many more landscapes in New Mexico and also in surrounding states as well as attending many art festivals in the Southwest.