Animals form a large part of my experience where I live and work in rural Vermont. My interactions with them are often from a distance, as an observer standing on the porch or walking the trails, where animals of all kinds are part of the territory. I hear them. I watch what they do, how they move, and how quickly they disappear. But I know them well. Many have become familiar as friends. Songbirds return year after year to build nests in the same places, generations of deer understand that we intend them no harm, so they stay. Curious bears raising their cubs eat from the many old apple trees, and coyotes howl at night, looking for a mate or trying to keep track of their young ones. We all trust one another to not get in each other’s ways. Today, more than ever, I am inspired by that kind of simplicity, coexistence, and peace.

My current painting project focuses on the idea of animals. Rather than attempt to render the subjects with accurate likenesses, I am interested in simplifying their shapes to convey the essence of their forms and innate behaviors: grouse nestled on the ground, a bird singing, birds in playful flight, a crow looking about.

In the work I paint, scrape, paint, dissolve, sand, and repaint the canvases to create softened worn textures where the imagery is representative of something familiar while hovering between perception and suggestion. It is the intersection of opposites and the spareness of details that I find interesting to approach in these paintings. Animals—in particular, many types of birds—are the subjects, inspiring the opportunity for artistic exploration while the painting process and technique offer creative manifestation.