There are times when I'm hiking that I am captivated by a scene and can't wait to get home to print out the pictures and capture the feeling in pastel. I do many paintings from hikes on the Central Coast, but also from trips to the Sierras and the Southwest. I'm drawn to trees, and work to capture the essence of the gnarled or stately oak, the elegant eucalyptus with its weeping leaves, the white bark and autumn colors of the sycamore. I enjoy he challenge of capturing reflections in water. I have long been interested in wildflowers and have been excited by the variety to be found around San Luis Obispo, so flowers are another frequent object in my paintings.
I gravitated to pastels from colored pencil because of the intense, rich color created by the almost pure pigment. It captures the beauty of our blue skies and ocean, the colors of the many wildflowers, and the changing colors of the hills. I use a variety of pastels, on sanded paper or board.