How Far We've Come, 38’’ x 48’’, Oil on canvas

Detail, How Far We've Come, 38’’ x 48’’, Oil on canvas

Side view, How Far We've Come, 38’’ x 48’’, Oil on canvas

Study of Nyack Beach Scene, 14’’ x 18’’, Oil on Canvas

Pink Cloud Study, 8'' x 10'', Oil on Wood

Study for Snow on St. Charles, 10'' x 14'', Oil on wood

Snow Day on Saint Charles Avenue, 42 x ¼ x 32 ¾ , Oil on canvas

Snow Day on Saint Charles Avenue, detail

Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July Study,
9 ¾ ‘’ x 12’’ , 24.76cm x 30.48cm,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July Study, 9 ¾ ‘’ x 12’’ , 24.76cm x 30.48cm, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Detail, Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July Study,

Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July 2nd Study, 14” x 18 ¼’, 35.56cm x 46.35cm,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July 2nd Study, 14” x 18 ¼’, 35.56cm x 46.35cm, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Detail, Ft. Collins Reservoir on the 4th of July 2nd Study,

Vondelpark Amsterdam Study,
14’’ x 18’’, 35.56 cm x 45.72 cm,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Vondelpark Amsterdam Study, 14’’ x 18’’, 35.56 cm x 45.72 cm, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Canal St. Martin from Passerelle Bichat Study,
14’’ x 18’’, 35.56cm x 45.72,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Canal St. Martin from Passerelle Bichat Study, 14’’ x 18’’, 35.56cm x 45.72, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Detail, Canal St. Martin from Passerelle Bichat Study,

Nyack Beach in my mind,
14 ¼’’ x 11’’, 37.19cm x 27.94cm,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Nyack Beach in my mind, 14 ¼’’ x 11’’, 37.19cm x 27.94cm, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Lost Man Lake in my mind,
12 ½’’ x 9 ½’’ , 31.75cm x 24.13cm
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Lost Man Lake in my mind, 12 ½’’ x 9 ½’’ , 31.75cm x 24.13cm Oil on Canvas, 2025

Light on the Mountains in my mind,
12 ¼’’ x 9 ½’’ , 31.11cm x 24.13cm,
Oil on Canvas, 2025 — Light on the Mountains in my mind, 12 ¼’’ x 9 ½’’ , 31.11cm x 24.13cm, Oil on Canvas, 2025

Detail, Light on the Mountains in my mind

What you see here is a collection of paintings from 2025.

Places I’ve been to, and remember. Places I’ve imaged from sights seen.

The real places I paint are ones that have stopped me in my tracks demanding presence. I make a drawing if I am prepared to do so, otherwise I observe quietly for a long time. Eventually I return to the studio and complete a small study to capture quickly what I remember. I’ll paint it again knowing how to improve the image to resemble my memory better.

The in my mind images are made from memories of places I’ve been to, though they are not as ‘fresh’. In these I allow my imagination to fill in the gaps, to be taken by a surreal wave of inspiration, until I see that I’ve been brought back to somewhere I’ve been before. It is like dreaming while awake.

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Memory is something I’ve navigated through pictures. 11 years of icloud storage, I have some 40k photos. It is an unmanageable mass, of which landscape photos make a good chunk. It is nice to have them to look back on later, to show people my journeys, advise them on places they have to see. Though I’m often unsatisfied, as the photos themselves often pale in comparison to what I saw.The iPhone cannot yet capture all the colors of the sky. I also feel a sense of guilt, leaving the present moment to preserve a lesser version of it to be lost in the abyss of photos.

As much as I’d like to, I cannot paint every beautiful sight I’ve seen, as I see them everyday. I have to be selective for what gets to the canvas. Memory too is selective, we don’t get to keep every day. I see a natural harmony in this, that the documentation icloud is in conflict with.

I take fewer pictures now. Instead of trying to have it all, I try to keep closest to me those moments that stand out, close my eyes and see them again. Like the Once in a lifetime pink cloud that silently demanded attention, or the moon shining on a reservoir in rockies on the 4th of July. With focus, I can access a salient moment, where I felt some eureka!, with life. I can compare who, what, where I was with the present. I can see how far I’ve come.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with collecting images. Though its become clear to me, that memory and description, can fill a desire to capture our lives.