Much of my work is inspired by my travels and the places I have seen. It is rooted in observation but when attempting to capture what Alexander Pope called the “genius of the place”, mere topographical verisimilitude is not enough. Abstraction is a means by which one can produce work that gets underneath the surface of a subject. If I have time I will sit down with an easel and paint a conventional oil study. I also always travel with a sketchbook in which I record what I see and make notes of my impressions of a place. Back in the studio, work begins in “translating” the gathered impressions. The outcome of each work is never clear until it is finished, as I believe the best work has to surprise one and paintings evolve naturally over time.