about me
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
I was born in San Francisco into an artistic family and drew and painted from an early age, inspired by artists: parents Mireille and Phil Wood, grandfather Gottardo Piazzoni, cousin Russ Chatham and great-uncle Maurice del Mué, among many others.
Earning a B.A. (University of California Berkeley) and an M.A. (San Francisco State University) in English, I taught college composition and literature for several years in New York and California. I also worked in educational media and photography, and was active in theater and music.
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
Outdoor painting, starting as a youthful summer activity, continued, off and on, into adulthood, when I eventually decided to pursue my artwork professionally. Since the 1980s, I've exhibited in numerous one-man and group shows.
Most of my painting is done on location; larger canvases in the studio are based on my smaller field paintings, as well as drawings and notes.
As teenagers during summers in Carmel Valley, my cousin Russ (standing) and I would paint our surroundings – oaks and canyons, barns and fences – and tack our paintings on the wall of the ranch house.
When I go out on the land to paint, I look for what could make a promising composition. The incentive might be an interaction of light and shadow, an evocative color, a dramatic sky or a place of tranquillity.
Painting from nature is a meditative activity, a process of contemplating and understanding; it's my attempt to
convey, through a visual medium, the experience of being in the landscape, and to create a work worthy of contemplation and enjoyment by others.