The exhilaration of working on location in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah remains a fond memory. Just the thought of that mountain stream rushing down and feeding the landscape with its cool spray instantly transforms my mood.

By sketching in watercolor or acrylic paints, the action and atmosphere that first catches my eye was captured in real-time.

Once back in my studio, I used these sketches and reference photos to complete the larger-scale version seen here.

A spirit animal is considered to be a teacher or messenge-carrier that reveals itself in the form of an animal. The spirit animal divulges its presence and has a personal relationship with an individual. There are more titles assigned to the spirit animal: animal guides, spirit helpers, spirit allies, power animals, or animal helpers. As well, an individual may have one or several spirit animals throughout their lifetime.

“Figurative art describes any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world and particularly to the human figure.” This quote from Tate, a British Museum, touches on the one point my work seeks to achieve; that is the reference to the real world and particularly to the human figure.

Approaching each work with reference materials and historical studies, I am able to render an image of more than simply a reproduction of a figure but of the moment in history for the subject of the piece. The pieces represented here include my impressions of Pierre-August Renoir’s nudes in motion with and in the womb; Artemisia Gentileschi with her thumb screws; Audrey Hepburn holding a tulip bulb and stepping on a Nazi flyer; Angela Davis cracking the ground beneath her feet and the ground in harlequin disguise.

Over the centuries, artists have captured the rich symbolism of flowers, tracing the changing meanings of roses, irises, tulips, carnations, and more. Depending on the context, a single flower can represent reproduction or decay, purity or promiscuity, love or hardship—or nothing more than a pile of petals.

Is a botanical painting meant to be a symbol or is it just a flower. I leave that to the viewer to decide.