journeys

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

16 × 24 inch

Price: $1725 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: I was driving along this quiet road when these aspens suddenly engulfed me. Their golden leaves formed a canopy overhead, and it felt like I was being wrapped in pure color. It was so beautiful—so mesmerizing—that I knew I had to paint what I was experiencing right then. The light, the color, the abundance of the trees and leaves—it was almost overwhelming in the best way. I didn’t just feel surrounded by nature; I felt embraced by the colors of the moment.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

12 × 24 inch

Price: $1340 (framed)

Available at the Mark Arts Gallery, Wichita, KS (markartsks.com 316-634-2787)

Story Behind the Painting: I was enjoying a fall drive in southern Colorado when I saw these four horses grazing in the pasture. The sun felt good, and the atmosphere seemed right. It was simply a pleasant happenstance at the time. What captured my attention even more was the way the horses seemed to be enjoying all that grass. From their perspective, there appeared to be no lack of anything—their needs were fully met, and they were simply living in quiet abundance.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

24 × 44 inch

Price: $4450 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: As one of the main attractions inside the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Overland Park, Kansas, I knew I wanted to spend extra time immersing myself in this area, inspired by Monet's garden in Giverny, France. I spent hours viewing the garden from various perspectives, and when it came time to paint Monet's Garden, I chose this particular scene. I loved the way the light was just beginning to peak over the ridge behind me. It felt like things were just beginning, but simultaneously, because of the shifting light, I knew that what I saw and experienced at that moment would soon be gone, and something else would come. It was these fleeting, transitional moments that first captured my attention and inspired me to paint this stunning place.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

16 × 20 inch

Price: $1465 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: Beyond Telluride, CO, lies a road known as the Last Dollar Road. As I drove along the lonely, winding road, I was struck by the expansive openness around me. While painting this piece, I sought to capture the feelings and reflections I experienced on that drive. Although the painting is not large, I wanted the piece to convey a sense that there is far more to the scene than what initially appears.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

14 × 18 inch

Price: $1295 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: Inspired by the Flint Hills of Kansas—a place I've visited many times—this particular outing drew me in with the vast openness of the landscape. At first, it felt so simple, yet with that simplicity, there was great expanse. The beauty wasn't just in what I could see, but in the layered experience it stirred within me. I was intrigued by the complexity hidden inside the simplicity. Wanting to reflect those multiple layers of perception, I set out to bring that same multifaceted quality into the painting experience.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 × 24 inch

Price: $3270 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: This group of aspens caught my attention because it seemed to have all the freedom in the world to grow and expand as it pleased. Even though the foliage surrounded the aspens, it wasn't so overbearing that it choked the life out of them. These aspens and everything around them were alive. It was as if each plant was getting along and free to express itself without crowding out the others. As I painted, I wanted to capture that same sense of freedom and balance that I felt when I saw this scene.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

16 × 20 inch

Price: $1465 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: Snow had just fallen, and the sun was beginning to peek through, trying to bring a bit of warmth to the day. I was struck by those contrasting sensations—the chill of the snow and the promise of the sun’s warmth—and it was that very contrast that inspired this painting. I wanted this painting to capture the same initial impression I had at the time, which was of the feeling of the cold snow and the warmth of the sun. 

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 x 48 inch

Price: $6000 (Framed)

Available at the Salina Art Center, Salina, KS (salinaartcenter.org 785-827-1431)

Story Behind the Painting: When I first saw these shadows across this open area, they seemed to tell a story, but I didn't know what story they were telling. All I knew was that the shadows were not dark or overwhelming in any way because light shone between them. It seemed like it was okay to be engulfed with these shadows. It wasn't scary because of the light nudging through. This mysterious dynamic moved me to paint this scene, and I wanted to encapsulate those same feelings in the painting.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

12 × 36 inch

Price: $1925 (framed)

Story Behind the Painting: I was first drawn to these cattails by the rhythm of the reeds. Each reed is entirely different, but at the same time, they work together to create regularity and progression. It is almost like an orchestra, with several different instruments working together to create a beautiful, harmonious sound. My hope was to reflect in this painting the very things that initially caught my eye and drew me into the setting.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

16 x 20 inch

Price: $1225

Story Behind the Painting: “This unique fallen log was nestled in a small ravine near my home. I have seen this fallen log many times and I often said to myself, ‘You know, I should paint that one day.’ After making that statement many times, I finally decided to act on it. We had received several inches of snow the day before, but the sun was shining brightly when I looked in the ravine that day, and I knew the beautiful scene before me would not last long. The sun's warmth would melt the snow, so the awe of that moment was fleeting. As I looked at the log, I noticed that the sun caused a glistening of the snow and a slight warmth over the entire landscape. As I painted this amazing scene, I wanted to express the joy and wonderment I had experienced on that wonderful day in the snow.” 

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 x 48 inch

Price: $5200

Story Behind the Painting: The dream is out there, and I am chasing after the dream. That was the feeling I engaged with while creating this abstract painting. By definition, a dream is not concrete but it could lead to something that is. It implies a process. Even though it may seem complex, there is a step by step developmental process involved. To chase after a dream demands that one moves from an ethereal abstract concept to a concrete and attainable one. Therefore, this painting had to feel movement toward something while simultaneously feeling certainty and confidence in what could be achieved. Thus, the inspiration behind this piece.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

42 x 42 inch

Price: $5300

Story Behind the Painting: This painting is all about shapes and how those shapes intertwine, interconnect, and weave in and out of each other. When you look at these shapes, they each play their part in such a finessing way. With an elegance to the movement and visual play, this painting makes a statement without being overly bearing.

36 x 65 inch (36 x 11 each panel)

Oil & Mixed Media over Canvas over Board

Price: $5950

Story Behind the Painting: The inspiration for this five-panel painting, called a pentaptych, started with the colors. I spent many painting sessions on this painting, which you can see as you observe the paint up close and notice all the layers of paint built up. That act of applying paint over and over again and visually being able to see the time spent on the painting lends itself to similarly viewing the piece of artwork. There appear to be various impressions that take place in progressions and stages. The five panels further enhance the contemplation as you move from one panel to another. There is a tendency to search back and forth during the observation of this painting. I titled it ‘Curiosity’ because it encapsulates what I felt each time I placed a new layer of paint on the canvas. Furthermore, the word ‘curiosity’ is a five-syllable word that fits beautifully with the five-panel painting.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 x 48 inch

Price: $3800

Story Behind the Painting: The inspiration for this painting is likened to the expression when someone walks into the room and says, "Ta-Dah!" It is like, "Here I am!" It is very expressive, dynamic, and full of fanfare. It has pizzazz to it. For this painting, I wanted to have the Ta-Dah feeling, but because of the harmony within the piece, it wasn't just one person doing the Ta-Dah. It was the entirety of the whole doing it. It was all the connections that made the Ta-Dah so dynamic. It is the power of the group or the power of the supporting characters working together that makes it what it is. In the end, the dynamic connections make the entrance so dramatic.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 x 12 inch

Price: $1550

Story Behind the Painting: The inspiration for this abstract was a single tree, which I noticed standing tall alongside the road. It was all alone—a solitary self. It wasn't in a grove of other trees similar to its kind, but yet it seemed to have a sense of purpose and intention. I wondered what this tree might be like with its own unique personality and characteristics. Yet, in its distinctiveness, there seemed to be abstract qualities about it that made up the whole. I liked the idea of something that was a single unit but contained abstract qualities that were hard to define but nonetheless made up the whole.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

36 x 12 inch

Price: $1550

Story Behind the Painting: As I was driving through a very picturesque landscape, I noticed this single tree standing tall alongside the road. It was all alone—a solitary self. It wasn't in a grove of other trees similar to its kind, but yet it seemed to have purpose and intention. I liked the idea that someone could be strong within their own uniqueness and that you don't need other "trees" who are like-minded to survive. This tree was doing it, and it was this determination within the solitude that inspired this painting.

Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas over Board

34 x 48 inch

Price: $5200

Story Behind the Painting: I love how this painting is just in your face. I had so many words to describe it that I ended up for the first time utilizing an acronym. It truly is Blunt, Outspoken, Loud, and Direct. The inspiration for this painting coincided with the painting, “Conversations In the Shadows.” I wanted to have something straightforward using colors considered calming, like blues, greens, and yellows rather than more traditionally aggressive colors such as red or black. The large size also corresponds and complements the theme.