For years, I’ve been feverishly exploring the juxtaposition of women and elemental themes. I portray the human figure because faces and bodies are fascinating to me—the crucial components that make us individuals. Faces and gestures allow our inner workings to peek out. Using a blend of realism, surrealism, and conceptual styles, I capture the subtle yet powerful essence of these subjects in oil or acrylic paint.

As a native Utah artist, I understand all too well the draw of this gorgeous region. When we immerse ourselves in the splendid landscapes our world has to offer, we achieve a type of transcendence available even to the most cynical among us.

Many of my recent paintings explore that sense of unity with our surroundings. In waves, prairie storms, and tranquil forest scenes, my muses were reborn as Mother Nature herself, their figures manifested through the sublime harmony, endurance, and turmoil of natural landscapes.

During my childhood, I was always fascinated by surrealism but I never took the time to wonder why. However, now that I create it, I’m beginning to truly understand the lure of the impossible: our worlds are often so mundane that a single spark of madness can elicit a strong response. When reality is turned on itself, we experience any number of emotional reactions: wonder, wistfulness, childhood nostalgia, and inspiration to the imagination.

Because of those reactions, art is essential to my life. As Thomas Merton said, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Beyond the meditative aspects of the creation process, I’ve always been stimulated by the breadth of emotion in the art around me. I need those reactions to preserve my humanity, and I share my work to create that experience for others.