Painting in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, has opened my sight and knowledge of the natural world. As an artist it has given me a deeply felt, intimate relationship with our western landscape. Many of my paintings initially start out as plein air studies and - with a little bit of luck, skill, patience and time - are refined in the studio. My aim is not only to recreate the captivating landscape I witnessed but also to evoke the presence and awe I felt while observing directly from nature. This act of creating is as much my passion as it is my privilege.