PLEIN AIR PAINTING; NATUREI began painting outside, mainly in the mountains, due to my love of wilderness. The beauty, the peace, the energy of ever transitory life; it gave me a desire to create and express greater than any other experience I have known.Over the years this desire has never waned. Even the same location can time and again leave me with a fresh sense of awe. What has changed is my understanding of and appreciation for what nature brings to me. As life has become more complex I value the hours I spend in the mountains for the opportunity they give me to clear my head, calm my thoughts, center myself and become fully present in the moment and in my life. We humans so often find ourselves wrapped up in convoluted dramas that at their basis need not exist. Our thoughts can so easily induce stress, negativity, even paranoia. My connection to nature helps me to, if not avoid such difficulties, move through them so that I may retain my sanity and well being. TRAVEL PAINTING; WATERCOLORSFor the past several years I have had the pleasure of traveling to Europe nearly every spring to explore the cities and towns, take in the various cultures and, most importantly, paint. My travels have taken me to Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain and England. This past May I traveled to Northwestern Spain and the regions of Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia. With my sketch book and watercolors in hand I visited San Sebastian, Santander, Gijon, Lugo, Santiago de Compostelo and Salamanca. As in my previous travels, my primary focus was the back alleys and hidden nooks that reveal the innate character of each unique locale. Walking down a narrow street flanked by buildings hundreds of years old, I think of all that has passed since their first foundations were laid, all the people who have walked in my steps. It isn’t just a street I paint but a window through time.Specialties: Plein air oil landscape painting and European watercolors,