For me, art allows humans to participate in God’s creative work, reflecting the transcendent mystery of God through human hands. Inspired by the local flora and fauna of the Eggemoggin Reach area where I live on a Maine island hiking and sailing my wooden Beetlecat sailboat and rowing my Nutshell pram purposefully not using a motor as to not scare the wildlife to paint plein air in the warmer season. I create impressionistic figurative art reflecting my gratitude for God’s natural creation. My hope is you would savor the sweet memories of Maine when indoor viewing my paintings.

Illustration media I use is graphite, pen and ink, watercolor, markers, and colored pencils. I embrace watercolor’s inherent unpredictablity, prioritizing tonal value before hue (color) and light before detail. I work with the paint as a partner rather than fighting it, encouraging bold, confident brushstrokes, and using the white of the paper to convey light, aiming to capture the essence of a subject with speed, spontaneity, and joy. I use wet-in-wet techniques, advocating the courage to simplify and allowing the paint to flow with a positive, fearless attitude embracing opportunities for spontaneity.

My life influencers include:

Introducing me to Maine and his work ethic, I am appreciative of my great grandfather Francis Byron Green who wrote the book History of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport in addition to being a Maine Senator and founder of the Boothbay Register newspaper. He was a lawyer who sought other activities.

My great grandmother Jennifer Ring Sanderson of West Yarmouth, MA enabled my love of the natural world. In her late 90s while feeding Cape Cod chickadees from her hand, she fostered my love of the biodiversity which existed then from her home on Mill Creek off Lewis Bay by hatching Monarch butterflies and feeding sea creatures we temporarily caught off the dock. At a young age, in addition to always drawing, I became a sea nymph wanting to be on and in the water as much as possible which included sailboat racing.

I love how sailboat racing with a crew requires sportsmanship and teamwork, two qualities I have implemented in my career of scientific research and raising two children. In college, I earned a B.S. and M.S. at the University of Maine and Northeastern University (both had sailing clubs), studying botany, zoology, and technical writing, and I enjoyed painting classes at the then Portland School of Art.

Thank you for visiting. Peace be with you!