The Merlin Saw Magic in the Sky

I enjoy starting with a bit of water based underpainting, which is a loose way to play with the colors and patterns that will be further developed and completed with pastel. I want to paint with an eye for true to life detail, yet I love capturing character and personality in the birds and animals that I paint. As I continue to portray my subject matter in a fairly realistic manner, I’m also developing exciting ways of creating a loose, painterly atmosphere, border, or background in my artwork. My most current work reflects this exploration into a greater diversity of mood and texture. Approaching my paintings with a playful, spontaneous attitude and finishing with areas of more focused detail gives me more than just an image but rather a story, a metaphor, or an abstracted reality.