Red-eyed vireo sketch
"Birds are the most vivid expression of life, " Roger Tory Peterson once said. I think that statement is definitive, not scientifically, but artistically, in that it points an artist in the right direction. Bird painting, to me, is not merely an opportunity to depict ornithological subject matter; it's an opportunity to express life itself - vividly. The medium you choose, how you employ it, and the choices you make on the way all enter into the equation. I have worked almost exclusively in watercolor on paper, have adopted a somewhat "loose, impressionistic" style, and have chosen to emphasize expressive form over feather detail. The goal, though, is always the same: to try to put life and breath into paint and paper.
My work has appeared in the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's "Birds in Art" and "Naturally Drawn" exhibitions as well as a variety of regional art festivals and shows. I have designed several covers for Birdwatcher's Digest and have illustrated numerous articles over the years for that magazine. I am a graduate of Ohio State University and live in Columbus, Ohio.