Current Show at Studio Eleven

I’ve always enjoyed the writings of the folks I think of as “the mid-century, backyard naturalists”, like Edwin Way Teale, Donald Culross Peattie and Louise Dickinson Rich. These writers turned their thoughts and their careful, scientific observations, not to endangered species in far-away places, but to the flora and fauna right in their dooryard. They sought to understand the complexity and beauty of the world by understanding the life of the common, every-day bird, bug, tree, and flower. They recorded, year after year, the changing of the seasons and all that the change brought to one small corner of their landscape.  Their books and essays helped open my eyes to the rich, beautiful, inter-connected and intricate world that surrounds me.

I’ve made the paintings in this show at Studio Eleven in that spirit. This work is about noticing, about paying careful attention to the landscape near my home, and then recording what I see in the most honest way I can.  I’m painting to understand.