As a child who spent many years exploring the woods and ravines around my home, I became enamored with the quiet, calm environment of the forest. Our destination was a half hour walk along a creek to the place where hemlocks grew, and we affectionately deemed it "Paradise". This transpired to my canvas through abstract oil paintings depicting an up close and literal observation of the rocks and water along the creek. My eyes tend to over saturate the color palette of a scene, but I swear by the vibrant purples, golden yellows and bright greens of the shale and sandstone cliffs. Carefully mixing each hue, highlight and shadow, and working from the top of the canvas down, I layer in the composition based on reference photos I've curated. When I created this collection of large canvas works I always dreamt of exhibiting them in a Nature Center with running water and woodland sounds. 

 In 2022 these pieces were exhibited in New Castle Pennsylvania through the Hoyt Art Center. They were displayed as backdrops along with realistic animal-inspired felted artwork by artist Catherine Danae in our show called, "Preserving Paradise".

 They were also included in my solo exhibition at The West Woods Nature Center in Novelty, Ohio titled, "Everything in Awe"