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Art expresses the longing of the human soul for connection, depth, and beauty. It can help us see with eyes of compassion and gratitude, and therefore it offers us hope in the present and the ability to imagine a future of new possibilities. In my work with soft pastels, I seek to capture the interplay of light and shadow, to use color, value, line, shape, and form to create a composition so that viewers might have an experience of recognition, saying inwardly, "Yes!"" “I have been there,” or “I know this feeling,” or “I yearn for this."

When painting landscapes, I try to start in plein air to capture the immediacy of what I am seeing, though I may finish the painting in the studio. When plein air is not possible, I paint from photos I have taken, altering the composition to express what caught my heart initially. My figurative work is done from my own photos or photos for which I have been given permission to paint. I hope my art can offer some beauty, joy and meaning to the world.