About The Artist

LOSING YOUR LIGHTS

When I moved to Colorado in 1992, it wasn't the mountains that brought me to my knees, but the willows. They were more human-scale, and I loved their bold changes of mustard, burgundy, flame. But willows do come with that great backdrop of mountains--yet another bold array of color-shapes in degrees of definition to challenge a landscape painter. I began with watercolors. The layering of washes conveyed the beauty, but not the boldness. For that I turned, in 2010, to oils.

The first rule in watercolor is, 'Don't lose your lights!' Meaning you work to keep the pristine white of paper showing through, since you can always add darks. Losing your lights is the worst thing you can do in watercolor. Not so in oils--you can always splash lights on top. In oils the first rule proved to be, Don't lose your darks!' So with this new text and primer, the paintings here represent a year's education in oils. I am by profession a writer. With three published novels, and a scatter of screenplays, stories and essays. Naturally a base of light versus a base of dark would appeal to a writer, whose first rule must be 'Don't lose your conflict!' For conflict engenders drama!

Painters of all stripes love drama, too. They call it contrast, and translate it into darks and lights.

The American West, with its grand dramas of ups and downs, darks and lights, is heaven for a landscape painter. This year's yield of oil paintings is offered up in gratitude. Mountains, willows, a few humans too--to preserve the sense of scale.