Artist Statement
Artist StatementPainting is how I share my emotional connection to the rural landscape and my lifelong love of horses and dogs. I was one of those moonstruck little kids that was always feeding grass to the neighbor’s plow horse through the barbed wire fence, or showing up at the kitchen door with a stray I had befriended. I never outgrew it. Instead it became my calling to give this world and these moments a permanence—and a voice—on the canvas.
For the past twenty years I have focused on capturing the essence and the many moods of foxhunting. My hunt paintings depict real people, horses and hunt country. They are the result of my dogged on-foot pursuit of the hunt field with camera in hand, while cheering my rider friends on and drinking in the sheer beauty of it all. I’m constantly grateful for these clubs’ permission to tap into their spirits for inspiration, and I enjoy supporting them by donating paintings for their hound-fund auctions!
Since returning to Virginia six years ago, I have broadened my focus to include country landscapes. When I lose myself on the back country roads that still exist here, I get swept up by these beautiful old farms, with their ancestral trees and mountain views. They convey a sense of endurance and story to me that begs to be painted, whether it’s a snowy cornfield or a stand of sycamores.
I would describe my painting style as representational, although the two words I hear most often from collectors of my work are “light” and “motion.” This is particularly satisfying, because I think it’s what sets me work apart: I carefully plan and execute both the lighting and the overall composition in each of my paintings to build a sense of motion—and emotion—that I hope will strike a compelling chord in the viewer’s imagination.