I paint composite landscapes inspired by the California wilderness. Working from photographs shot while hiking with my children in San Diego County, and farther afield such as Anza Borrego, Cleveland National Forest, and the High Sierra, I build scenes that exist nowhere except on canvas. These aren't plein air studies but accumulations of fragmented attention: the wilderness you see while preventing falls, negotiating snack breaks, answering endless questions.

 

I create landscape paintings primarily in sizes between 14x18" and 20x24." However I enjoy making larger work at 36x48” to 48x60" inches. Larger paintings create a physical presence that matches the thrill of encountering the wilderness with children—exhausting, exhilarating, overwhelming. They capture something landscape painting traditionally ignores: the chaotic joy of motherhood conducted outdoors, where maintaining wonder while managing risk becomes its own wild terrain.