Essential for even a modest quality of life, looking is sine qua non for human life, for meaning, for substance; and quiet contemplation for hope in a world in perpetual crisis or frenzy. The quintessential skill of being an observer is merely a persistent gesture toward looking. Observation as an artistic discipline manifested itself in the historical art movement often referred to as Realism. This movement, as a style of art, is rich and varied, both in the simple and direct visual apprehension of the thing seen, and in the insights gleaned from observation of both nature and human culture.

In my pastel works on paper and oil painting, I explore Realism of the natural and human culture evoking a mysterious feeling of light, darkness, space, and even the passage of time. Looking is paramount in the still life assemblages from which I draw. In these lie implicit narratives and deeply symbolic communications humans instinctively seek: hope in the face of death, the possibility of genuine permanence, and the perseverance of meaning in spite of our weakness, brokenness, and failure.