Pairs with:

Statement from the Artist:

"A General Softening" was completed about 10 years ago, as part of a series of still life paintings in which I examined some of my thoughts on aging. In the series, I placed a crackled, reflective mercury ball in various tableau in my studio, and painted from life. At that time, I was strictly a still life painter.

Since then, I've added landscapes to my interests, including "Spring is on the Way." When painting landscapes, I prefer plein air although it is common for me to use my own photos, as I did in this case. Using photos creates its own challenges, which I do my best to understand and work around.

In reflecting on work done over the past ten years, I see that my interests are still basically unchanged. Capturing light as it rakes an object, depicting atmospheric changes to describe distance, paying attention to edges which tell the viewer where to look... It is all about communication. I continually work on becoming better at my craft, one painting at a time, and I look forward to seeing where I am ten years from now.