I'm often asked about the process of painting — how much time does one peice take and do I know exactly what I am going to do before I create it?

The answer is yes and no, and it depends.

During the process of creating "Painted Apples" (Below Left) I documented different layers of the paint with photography (Below Right). The original photograph is derived from a spontaneous idea, when one day, I used leftover paint to decorate apples in my parent's orchard. I used this image as a basis, but changed the details to fit the composition.

At this angle, I knew WHAT I was trying to go for, but that actual piece evolves as you play with color, contrast and paint texture. I don't really know what any painting will look like until it is done.

This particular piece took me about two weeks to complete, working on it 4-8 hours a day. It is made of acrylics on wood and the dimensions are 2ft x 2ft, 1/2" thick. I varnish all my paintings with a clear, glossy finish, and prep for hanging.

This painting is a part of a larger group of new works called "The Garden Series" which evolved from my own photography taken in rural Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Most of these photos were taken during the 2008 flood period that soaked my home town, ruined many homes and businesses and was the cause of my own departure.

The Garden/Eden viewpoint is nestled in the creation of the world; the untroubled begining before the fractured time of evil. It is a place of beauty, where there is no want for anything. Yet, a painting is a painting — it is an icon standing for something else, but not the thing itself...therefore these paintings are about loss, even as bright and beautiful as they may seem.