For many years, I’ve divided my time between the United States and France. I was born in Wisconsin and still draw inspiration from the rolling hills and small bluffs in the southern part of that state when I return there. I’ve lived in many different parts of the United States and have traveled extensively in its various regions, as well as in North Africa, particularly Morocco but also Tunisia and Egypt. I’ve also spent time in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, and the French countryside.

My love of being outdoors is obvious in most of my paintings. My “art kit” travels with me wherever I go, and more recently, my digital camera as well. The art kit has changed over time, originally a sketchbook which later became a compact watercolor kit (ten small tubes of paint, a tiny palette, a small jar of water, a brush and a pad of postcard sized watercolor paper) and has now returned to a black and white travel kit consisting of a pad of larger paper (10 x 10 inches) and a good ink pen.  The drawings or paintings I do in the field are often finished small format works in their own right and have the charm of spontaneity. They serve as my visual memory. I revisit my favorites for years, using them as the framework for other, larger works, which I do indoors, in my studio.

My digital camera was originally for capturing images and ideas when I did not have the time to draw them, but that work has evolved in its own right to a series of photographs, which are finished works in themselves but may also, in some cases, serve as the foundation for graphite drawings or watercolor or oil paintings.