I am an abstract painter with a love for nature, a strong sense of wonder and a belief that paintings – all paintings – are about heaven and earth and how they intertwine. They convey a strong respect and love for the spiritual that dwells in every plant, every being, every rock and grain of sand. The mysteries and subtleties that overlap and interweave. My paintings can be relatively realistic, a subtle, untroubled scene of shadows of trees after a winter snow – or they can be totally abstract. In either case, they are still derived from nature and talk about the interface between earth and the powers that be. My subject matter can range from the jumble, cacophony and color clash of a Thai street scene – or the unbelievably pristine tracery of bare trees in winter. I work in water media and collage for the most part, with occasional forays into oil and print making. I have worked extensively in Asia and love to incorporate Asian papers and techniques into my paintings often using harsh mulberry papers as the background for large works. It gives a great, earthy texture with branches and fibers and the occasional bug still incorporated into the background. I usually start my paintings using transparent watercolor. Sometimes I work traditionally, from white to dark, using traditional painting methods. Many times I turn a corner at some point in the painting and start adding texture and other media, exploring the corners of what one can do with an idea or a scene. Pushing it past the easily recognizable into a great cosmic puzzle.