OVERVIEW
On my daily walks I am always awed in some way by the abundance of natural beauty that I am blessed to encounter. Early this Fall I began taking longer hikes on some of the steeper slopes that border the reservoir near my home. While enjoying the incredible colors and light and air, I became particularly fascinated by the enchanting Mountain Laurels that populate this area. Their limbs so beautifully twisted into bonsai-like shapes from being in the under story and facing the bitter northwest winds at the top of the peak. Though some had yielded to last years extreme weather I could not resist their beauty and brought several branches back to my home. This is not unusual as I often bring sticks, branches, stones and seeds to my studio for contemplation and inspiration. I also have an intense appreciation and respect for birds and have included their images in many past and current works so when I encounter a dead bird I will immediately make a detailed drawing. A nest, an egg and feathers will be collected for future reference as well. I find that things dying, dead, abandoned, still and seemingly unimportant are actually full of life and meaning for another purpose.

Sometimes these often symbolic natural images will appear spontaneously in my work among the organic shapes, lines and colors. At other times I am more consciously aware of how these forms can add an inner resonance to this continuing visual journey.