ARTIST STATEMENT

Water draws and inspires me by its visual delights as well as it’s spiritual, healing and nurturing qualities.  As the biologist, Ed Wilson said, "Water is the determining element for life," and as the writer Loren Eiseley said, “If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water”.

Not only do I feel overwhelming gratitude for water’s life sustaining gift, I also feel a profound sense of responsibility to speak for the water we so often take for granted.

The rivers that flow through our valleys feed us and feed the land. Our rivers, creeks and lakes are beautiful and I strive to transcend mere beauty.  In my landscapes, I hope to capture the precious and powerful nature that flows beneath the surface

Other thoughts on water:
The Indigenous People’s Kyoto Water Declaration,  2003

“We the Indigenous Peoples from all parts of the world, reaffirm our relationship to speak for the protection of water.   We were place in a sacred manner on this earth, each in our own sacred and traditional lands and territories to care for all of creation and to care for water.

We recognize, honor and respect water as sacred and sustains all life.  Our traditional knowledge, laws and ways of life teach us to be responsible in caring for this sacred gift that connects all life.

Our relationship with our lands, territories and water is the fundamental physical cultural and spiritual basis for our existence.  This relationship to our Mother Earth requires us to conserve our freshwaters and oceans for the survival of present and future generations.