Growing up, I could always be found somewhere...drawing.  
Light and color...forms and shadows...the emotional response that it all brings, excites and drives me to give life on canvas.  A reflection of my childhood dreams.
I am a self taught artist but I have had the privilege of studying with some very fine artists through the years.  I've studied with Kay Orr who showed me the freedom of pushing color.  A long time mentor, Maria Del La Juen, introduced me to the old masters, and Camile Corot who's paintings inspire me.  
In 2013, while attending the Plein Air Conference, artist Joe Paquet's opening speech had a profound affect on me.  "There are those moments in life, that a moment in time can change the tragectory of life.”  This was one of those moments for me.  I was fortunate to have attended one of Joe's workshops. That experience continues to inspire me to achieve higher levels of mastery in my work.  
A quote from Joe Paquet's speech that sums everything up for me:
"What can be more tragic than to feel the boundlessness of the surrounding beauty and to be able to see in it its underlying mystery... and yet to be aware of your own inability to express these large feelings” -Isaak Levitan
When my brush touches the canvas, I want to express the feelings that move me to do it in the first place.