I  have always drawn and painted. My Mother, Jane Toan was a painter and there were always plenty of art supplies on hand . So from an early age I was busy drawing and painting, and this has continued all my life. I feel that most artists follow  visual ideas and forms that leads to the next and the next. It becomes like a path that leads where we do not know. So for the past perhaps three decades, these paintings have been my path.

All these paintings are in oil, and have to do with patterns, especially in nature. Painting nature in the open air is very difficult, particularly on a large canvas.  I could do my sketches outdoors but once inside,  I couldn't call to mind all the colors, shapes and shadows seen on the spot. I had to use other means to create the feeling of life and nature I was looking to replicate. I  am interested in the effect of many small areas of color upon each other. In my work, each small area is a natural form, the tiny details making up the whole.
 
Many of my early paintings are of  a large marsh along the Hudson River, where  reeds, clouds, trees, vines, berries, birds and the shifting light of day to night, winter to summer, all create patterns upon patterns.

The paintings of trees are mostly of the stand of enormous sycamores that grow outside my house. Sycamore trees have a marvelous bark that sheds unevenly, creating an array of shapes and colors.

The later works that seem more  decorative than a traditional landscape are still  composed of natural forms.  From a distance  these pieces may read as an abstract rectangle. I like that basic shape to instill simplicity and balance despite all the detail that is going on within the canvas.
     
Whatever speaks to me when I paint , I hope these paintings might also speak to you.   

If you have any interest in contacting me, my email is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it