I’ve been making art for over fifty years, and forty of those years have been devoted to painting, drawing and teaching. This long, rich experience has taught me being an artist is a continual process of discovery: staying curious, open, honest and willing to step just beyond the edge of what’s comfortable.

 

In both teaching and mentoring, I draw from the same approach I use in my studio—learning to see closely, engaging deeply with materials, and continually refining and questioning. My years as an observational painter, working from real spaces, observed form, light and color, has shaped how I help students and artists build their own visual understanding and artistic confidence.

 

Teaching and mentoring has deepened my own art practice. Every exchange with students and fellow artists brings new insight and reminds me that growth in art happens through doing, looking, reflecting; in the studio, in the workshop, and importantly through interacting with other artists. Whether I’m teaching a beginning student or mentoring an experienced artist, my goal is the same: to support their process of discovery, of learning, guiding, building confidence;  and to help strengthen their voice through doing their work.