THE CALIFORNIA COLLECTION
I grew up on the east coast, but I always knew I'd end up in California. When I finished grad school, I loaded everything I owned into the back of an old Toyota Corolla station wagon and drove west. I stopped when I reached the Pacific Ocean, and I've been here ever since. These paintings are inspired by the beauty of the Golden State.
I was invited to create this painting as the poster image for the 2017 Indian Wells Arts Festival. It features flora and fauna native to the Coachella Valley, and was inspired by the dreamlike transformation the desert undergoes each spring when everything is in bloom.
This painting was created for a client's new home overlooking the Santa Cruz harbor. I had photos and measurements of the space, along with color renderings of the furnishings by their interior designer. Before I started, I painted my studio the exact wall color of their room. I designed the 3-panel layout to echo the sloping ceiling line. The subject was inspired by Natural Bridges, an iconic rock formation on the Santa Cruz coast.