My paintings and drawings have slowly but surely evolved from an early realism—landscapes, primarily—to works that retain that foundation but explore the shape, line, and color relationships in a more experimental direction. Even in the simplest pen-and-ink line drawing, there is always movement and tension. Some pieces are carefully orchestrated while others start off spontaneous and then develop as they tell me. With the exception of black-and-white drawings, almost all are mixed-media, utilizing gouache, graphite, and prismacolor pencil, pastels, and ink. My approach to both life and art is essentially optimistic, and I try to convey that in all my works.