Painting on location, enPleinAir, has become a passion.  I like to go places most of us would be afraid to walk. I like quiet places.  Places where I can hear my own thoughts.    

On location, I immediately respond to the colors around me, the sun reflecting off the grass, the time of day, the temperature, the breeze, the sounds of nature, and my own emotions… all of it. I think all of these make a painting fresh, vivid, and full of color.  I try to capture the essence and the light of the place that first inspired me.

The first thing to do, is put on my sunscreen and snake boots, A friend almost stepped on a 5 ft rattlesnake when she got out of the car.  After years of ‘mucking around’, to avoid getting bitten, I’ve learned to step “on” the log, not over it. Sometimes I deal with the sun, the heat, the cold, the wind...yes, sometimes even alligators. This is “Jake”.  When I went back to my previous place, there was Jake.  We both wanted the same spot.

No, I didn’t argue with him.  He stayed, and I left.

By the way, just a tidbit of trivia. I am influenced by what I hear and see.  I've painted alligators, but, I'll never paint a snake.