"If mountains, plains, gorges, and coasts are the set, then plants are the costumes on the stage of Earthly existence. This body of work pays homage to these photosynthetic beings, setting them as the protagonists in this set of paintings portraying mostly landscapes from the Western US that are dear to my heart. As a California native, I become more nostalgic for the rich, green terrains of the West Coast with each passing year of residency in the drier climates of Colorado.

I find the examination of landscape through the lens of its plant-life to be a uniquely nuanced way to interpret place. Overstory structure determines the nature of light that filters down to the surface below, the dappled patterns as divergent as a snowflake’s architecture. Canopy height largely determines the vertical lattice upon which other complex life can exist in any given footprint of land – tall in range in mature forest, miniscule in close-cropped alpine mosses. Where humans have intervened there is an unnatural orderliness in the matrix of plant life as it is forced to conform to our structures, asked to cohabitate with otherwise unlikely neighbors. Where natural course alone dictates the botanic makeup, places in which we are merely visitors, the harmonic balance of ecology is more obvious. After this time of isolation in our homes, the habitants of the outdoor world feel more vibrant than ever, welcoming us back with proud, quiet canopies. "