ARTIST STATEMENT The Landscape has and will always be important to me. Throughout my childhood, it was a place of escape. Every time I felt a need to flee reality, which as a young artist was often, I would go into the yard, lie on my back and look up at the trees and sky. That feeling of escapism is one that I want to recreate and share with all who view my artwork. My body of work explores our surrounding landscapes. It is a reflection of my experiences and road trips throughout our beautiful country. On my journeys, I stop at National and State Parks, I hike, I learn about the location, and I collect my subject matter. I enjoy creating traditionally based artworks on a grand scale that envelop the viewer. I get satisfaction from the hard manual labor work of relief printing by hand. These hand pulled prints are off multiple relief blocks, cut out of sheets of linoleum that are 36 inches wide and a minimum of 72 inches long. This is the true challenge, working on a grand scale to create one registered image. Influenced by artist/print-maker Swoon, I want the viewer to feel as though they are physically present within these environments, experiencing a specific attribute of a particular landscape. Too much of our country’s land has been destroyed by construction and over development. Climate change is playing an immense role in our surroundings and is changing the shape of our landscape. My message is simple, to capture the environment in all of its pure and natural beauty, before it is permanently changed. My goal is to create works that allow the viewer to escape while inspiring them to preserve their precious surroundings.