I began painting after careers as a college teacher of Russian Affairs and then as an analyst for the US State Department. My art springs from a passion for the color and the light that I see in nature and the man-made environment filtered through my imagination.  Although I never set out “to paint a scene,” my travel in Mexico, Spain, Turkey, India, Iceland, Arizona, Maine, and Hawaii-- along with the rural environs of Philadelphia where I have lived-- have inspired my work.  

Painting is a meditative exercise for me that totally absorbs my attention for hours at a time  I do not plan my paintings but choose a color pallet and begin applying  acrylic paint, usually with brushes, composing and structuring the painting as I go. Painting for me is always experimental. As I work on a piece, changes in pallet and composition occur.  There are accidents—some of them producing effects worth keeping. Sometimes there is disillusionment which leads to new beginnings, maybe a whole new painting. The process is as gratifying to me as the final result. 

What is a painting about?  I figure that out when it is done and give it a name. Often the pallet, depiction of light, the composition, the brush strokes and textures are more important to me than a name. When is a painting done? When I have a feeling of the work’s completeness. I live with a painting for months to decide. Some may be finished years after beginning.