Between 2004-2010 I dedicated my practice to capturing rural areas of New York State, including; Delaware, Ostego, Chenango, Oneida, Westchester, and Ultser counties. I was particularily inspired by the overlap of farmlands and wilderness in the northern Catskills. Painting outside (en plein air) on roadsides allowed me to meet many locals who often invited me into their homes and offered me unofficial artist residencies, allowing me to transplant myself for long stretches of time and be immersed in the the rural communities. Other times I’d stay in cheap motel. . Some paintings in this gallery were painted directly on site while others were developed at the studio based on plein air sketches.
Blue & Green Landscapes (images 23-37) was a series inspired by the lush greens and serene blues I experienced in Downsville, NY during a Meditative Painting Retreat I co-lead in 2012. I had a powerful plein air painting experience whereby, after a cold gray winter in the city, my senses were overwhelmed by the textures and colors of a Catskill valley in springtime. This powerful contrast heightened my senses during that first day out and the single plein air sketch led to the following series of studio paintings.
