Artist’s Statement

As an artist and a retired architect, I am drawn to structure and urban settings and delight in painting city-scapes. Be it the density of Boston, the wonderful light in Provincetown or the robust structures of Europe and South America, I find each location has its own identity. I sense an architectural personality and feel my work is portraiture/charactures of each place.
There is an undeniable energy to Provincetown for any artist. The light, the buildings, the ocean, the boats, the characters, and its history all combine for an unequalled experience. I find the scale of the urban setting here very different but just as significant of that of Boston, yet in a very different way. The rhythm of the gable ends of buildings along Commercial Street against the relentless telephone poles and overhead wires speak to me of structure and grace. I often sketch street scenes of this. I want my work to feel the strength of the architecture and surround the observer with that sense.
I have always kept formal sketchbooks while traveling abroad. Recently I have begun to incorporate those sketches into my oil painting. I find the underlying energy of buildings for so strong, and the spirit architecture so colorful, I like to play with the perspective of images I make. It is my goal to evoke both the colorful spirit I experience, and the feeling of nonconformity. I do not restrict myself to strict realism, particularly in matters of color. I exaggerate and play up complimentary colors. Overall, it is simply a matter of having fun while I paint.