"In every walk of nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir

     In the strong call to nature which is imbued in me and in the fight to preserve it, I find I can best express myself visually. I am deeply concerned about the land. I need to energize myself in nature. I fear others are losing this sensitivity. Nature's sensory experience versus malls. Quietude versus loud speakers. Belonging to the land versus owning it. Open space versus development. Pipeline greed and deceit versus healthy environment and life. Clean air, clean water, rich biodiversity--CELEBRATING LIFE VERSUS DESTROYING IT.

     Simply being in nature, I find inspiration and energy while working abstractly or representationally—the style and materials depending upon the voice I wish to express. Often I don’t know how I will respond until I begin the process of creating. What if this? What if that? What if I develop a three-minute figure drawing into an expression of how I feel about COVID? What if I add newspaper text, rice paper and marker to other figure drawings I did prior to the quarantine to express other emotions I needed to release? What if I go outside in nature to paint what inspires me there? Direct. Sensory-laden. Joyous. Or what if I find inspiration from animals at a friends’ organic farm? Or what if I use the sound of summer’s insects as the basis of an abstraction? Risk-taking, reflection, development, and surprise are aspects of my process and keep me highly engaged. Along with the natural world, the magic of creativity is my guide.