Artist Statement
“I like my mountains nude – with no trees and little vegetation. I like to see the mountains’ cracks, scars, uplifts, erosion, layers. Mountains without clothes allow one to see into their pasts, to see their essence. Preferring “bare mountains”, it is no surprise I fell in love with arctic Alaska. In 1988, I made my first trip to the Arctic Refuge, and the Brooks Range has pulled me north every year since. Traveling to the arctic puts one face to face with powerful land – land that has been allowed just to be.
“Even though I love the arctic, I possess no romantic disillusions about the far north. The land is indifferent towards me, often conjuring up an awareness of my smallness – not even a speck in the whole. In my paintings I hope to capture the spirit of the northern land – its space, its wildness, its intense light. The Brooks Range extends over 600 miles across northern Alaska. Geologists say the Brooks is a new range on top of another old range. Many of the mountains appear female, with their sensuous lines and gentle curves. The limestone and shale make-up allows easy erosion, creating mountains of old women – wrinkled and wise- sharing their gifts with the rest of us.”