Part of what I do is document (a) surface and sort of translate it. They’re like translations, and then part of it is fiction, which is invention.
- Vija Celmins

In the spring, the grass grows by itself.
- Bhagwan Rajneesh

My paintings are meticulous renderings of natural forms; especially forms that have been marked by the elements. There is a subtlety to surface color and texture that have had long exposure to weather. 

My brand of painterly realism was influenced by Zen inspired photographs of Thomas Merton, as well as Albrecht Durer’s obsessively detailed portrayal of nature. There is also a patterning that comes from more contemporary painters, such as Chuck Close, Neil Welliver and Vija Celmins.

This patterning leads to the tactile, which can give an image life. This implied sense of touch results from painting the constant and minute changes of the object’s surface, and creates excitement as the 2D is rendered to give a 3D illusion.