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This is a twilight view in a childrens’ garden, part of an Arts’ Magnet School in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California. The lights twinkle on as the sky darkens. What a beautiful place! Classes, get-togethers, and festivals happen here all year. I am a member of a weekly painting group that meets here and enjoys the magic of nature and the light.

Since my childhood in Wisconsin, I’ve been mesmerized by spectacular sunsets, the shock of storm skies, long late-afternoon shadows—all the dramatic push-pull between nature and the hand-of-man. These early impressions and experiences continue to inspire me today. They spark my imagination and shape my art.

Greater LA provides endless inspiration for my paintings. I always have my camera ready to snap reference photos of quiet neighborhoods, rushing traffic, throbbing business districts—whatever stops me in my tracks during my wanderings. Then, in my studio, I bump-up the color and crop my images to fine-tune the composi...

As an oil painter, I am inspired by intense color and deep contrast reflected through urban landscapes. I have a vivid childhood memory of seeing the aurora borealis, like a living creature, twisting over the black winter night sky above my Wisconsin home. Twenty-five years ago I moved to Southern California. The colossal scale of this city with its fluid light, contrasting landscapes, and passionate mix of cultures challenged me visually. The exotic extremes in Los Angeles opened wide my eyes and my heart. Now, using a vibrant palette and expressive brushstrokes, I strive to capture an essence of Southern Calfornia—light, earth and people— mirrored by this transcendent city.