There’s a moment on the trail when a view stops me in my tracks. It’s not just the beauty—though that’s part of it—it’s about the pause, the breath, the quiet awe. My acrylic landscape paintings focus on that feeling: the tension between wanting to stay and soak in the magic, and the pull to keep going, to explore, to discover. I paint to hold onto that moment of wonder, the spark that says something magical might be happening here.

Acrylics allow me to work quickly and intuitively. I use vibrant, often unexpected color palettes to reimagine familiar places. Loose brushwork and layered textures bring energy and movement. The fragmented geology of Southeastern Tennessee mirrors my process—bold shifts, uneven surfaces, surprising details. I build my paintings in layers, using brushes, palette knives, even kitchen tools to shape surfaces that feel alive and full of motion. I want the final work to feel immediate and alive, like nature itself.

This work matters to me because I didn’t always have this connection to the outdoors nor the arts. I grew up on the dusty plains of Kansas and West Texas—places with big skies and limited beauty. People were warm and kind, but practicality, not creativity, ruled. It wasn’t until I started hiking the wooded trails of Tennessee that I felt truly inspired by the land around me. That sense of awe changed something in me. Eventually, painting became a way to keep that feeling close. It’s about more than the panorama—it’s about the spark of joy, the whisper of magic, and the invitation to pause and really feel the little bits of magic all around me.