Excerpt from Art Talk 7/8/09 at CACCC
"Why abstract…specifically non-representational art? Most often, when people view my art, they inevitably want to know about the
techniques…how I do the painting. That's the wrong question. The right question should be why I paint like this.
Why I don't paint deer, ducks, dogs, waterfalls, barns and lonely people sitting in diners in the middle of the nite. If you're an artist that paints the
aforementioned, well that's great if it works for you, but for me, it bores me to tears. When I look at art and when I paint, I want to see
something I haven't seen before, and likewise I want to show my viewers something they haven't seen before.
 About a decade ago when I returned to full time painting, I pondered as many artists do…what I would paint. Each time you sit down in front of
an empty canvas, you ask yourself, ok what now?
The process of deciding subject matter…still life, landscape, figurative, perusing the hundreds of photos in your morgue can be frustrating and
daunting. And then I started to think about what it was in a particular photo I took, that would make a good painting, and that led to the thought
that, what was it that makes a painting work? You need to ask, what was the elusive quality in each of those scenes that touched you?
Engrossed you? Stopped you in your tracks? Made you want to paint it?
So, I was looking for a shortcut to get to the heart of the picture…that part that really touches you.
Especially with abstraction…there's some quality in any given picture that makes you want to look at it…touches you viscerally…makes it work.
The interplay of contrast, form, color, line; in other words, that intangible quality that makes you take notice of any given image, scene, picture…
how to capture and translate that essence into abstraction…that's my goal.
And so, how can I shortcut the process and get to the meat of the art without all the angst and rigermerole?
It was at this time that a happy accident happened. I sat down to work immediately after meditating. I realized that it was the ACT of
painting…the actual work, the process of applying paint that was the most fun, gratifying, pleasurable, satisfying… And it was at a time after I
had meditated, that I put the two together and realized that I got the best results when my mind was somewhat disconnected from the creation.
The CONTENT or subject wasn't what was important! It was the process and the resulting imagery. Clear my mind and work with no
preconception, no design or plan.
Just make an arbitrary stroke or mark and then let each subsequent stroke happen based on the previous marking.
An analogy…for those of you who do sports, sometimes it doesn't pay to think too much, or at all…just DO IT!
Art can be the same. Don't over-think. Be intuitive. Let it flow. Let it happen.
So that is how I get a painting to paint it-self. I'm now at the point where I can get in that mind-set and create art almost effortlessly.
 The painting should act as a window into the mood or state of my mind. Perhaps you get a small glimpse into this artist's
psyche."