Let me say this---I really enjoy working with acrylics! I had worked in oils and watercolors in college and in my early twenties but never really felt that I had it going to my satisfaction. After the painting teacher at my high school moved on to another job in 1989 I began teaching the school's painting class which used acrylics for safety reasons. Since I never used them before, the outcome was a letdown for both the students and me. Feeling an obligation to my students I took an acrylic painting class at the Art League in Alexandria, VA and not only improved myself as an acrylic painting instructor but I got hooked on painting in acrylics like I never had before with oils or watercolors.

Being an impatient individual, I prefer acrylics to other painting mediums because of its quick drying time. When I start a painting I excitedly brush onto the canvas a rough idea of the composition by drawing it first in contour with a brush in a neutral color mixture. Then I fill in all the dark values with the same neutral color mixture to achieve a 3-D effect. Next, I apply the fundamental colors to the basic parts of the painting to get some degree of paint onto the canvas. Naturally, at this point there are plenty of areas in the painting that are working to my satisfaction as well as an abundance of areas that need major adjustments. When I adjust every area that needs attention then I know I'm finished. The quick drying time of acrylics permits me to make a mistake, recognize it and paint over the mistake. Finally, my approach to painting with acrylics is the same as if I were using oils.

As a painter I consider myself a colorist and in the past 20 years I have omitted black from my color palette. The majority of my paintings are landscapes because of my love of the hypnotic tranquil effect that a beautiful outdoor scene has upon me. My goal when painting a landscape is to produce a world where the sun is always out.