Eastern Iowa

I have always been a realist, drawn to careful observation and to the visual subtleties of the world as it presents itself. Earlier in my career that attention found expression in still life drawings made with Prismacolor pencils and in full-length figure paintings of family and friends. Over time, that same impulse led me toward the landscape.

In 1989, while completing an MA in Art Education at the University of Iowa, my focus began to shift more deliberately in that direction. Courses in American art history—particularly my exposure to the Hudson River painters—raised questions about how such a tradition might translate to a local, familiar terrain. Daily drives through the surrounding countryside, watching the land change with light and season, reinforced that interest. The familiar scene, observed closely and over time, became the central subject of my work.

The paintings in this section are all within an hour’s drive of my home, in the area where I grew up and remain deeply connected. I was initially drawn to this landscape precisely because it seemed unremarkable when compared to more overtly dramatic places. Grant Wood made it clear that such assumptions were misplaced. While my work has since expanded into more scenic regions, I continue to find sustained meaning and challenge in painting close to home.