Painting is an inner imperative for me. Every time I walk out of my front door, I turn to the left, see the sky, the clouds, the buildings and lights and I think ah, I have got to capture this moment. I have to express the sense of place and feeling at that moment and hopefully share it with others. Simple walks in my East Nashville neighborhood inspire me. It's not that I am trying to capture every detail in paint; more about a feeling and connection with my surroundings.

 

I grew up in Inglewood - an East Nashville neighborhood. The skyline during the 1970s and 1980s was not what it is today. I would ride along with my mother down Ellington Parkway, as the car carried us pass the trees and lawns of the Nashville's suburbs. The downtown buildings appeared tall and shiny with their glimmering lights. I knew there was another world beyond my childhood.

 

Being in East Nashville is like Proust's maidelines to me; memories flood my mind and, suddenly, time has not passed and I am child again. When I paint, it is neither past nor future. Combining ultra-marine and permanent alizarin on a palette and brushing that mixture of violet across the canvas to form the sky, puts me in the now. Somehow in the painting process, all things are connected and I am able to breath in the moment as past, present and future, setting these memories free in my mind.