Welcome to Maple Brook Studio

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to the quiet beauty of the natural world—the shifting light, the drama of the sky, the rhythm of trees, and those fleeting moments when an ordinary landscape becomes something almost otherworldly.

My work has always been a process of exploration and reinvention. Over the years I have worked in many media, continually following my curiosity wherever it leads. Today, I am especially captivated by the possibilities of watercolor and textured papers, where the surface itself becomes part of the painting.

Birch trees have become a recurring presence in my work. I return to them again and again, painting them through changing seasons and changing skies. Their slender trunks, luminous bark, and graceful irregularity offer an endlessly expressive subject. Yet the birches are often only the beginning. I am equally interested in the atmosphere surrounding them—the clouds, light, wind, and silence that transform a landscape into a state of mind.

The textured papers I use bring another dimension to this exploration. Their fibers and translucent surfaces interact with the paint, creating unexpected marks and allowing the paper itself to suggest elements of the landscape. I welcome these accidents and discoveries; they are part of the conversation between the materials and my hand.

Ultimately, my paintings are less about depicting a particular place than about capturing a feeling: the sense of wonder that comes when we pause long enough to notice the beauty, mystery, and quiet energy of the world around us.

I opened Maple Brook Studio to the public in 1991 when my primary medium was Chinese brush painting, though I continued creating pen & ink drawings and oil paintings. Over the years my work has included stone sculpture, metal sculpture, colored pencil, oils, acrylics, pyrography (wood burning), gourd sculptures and mixed media. 

Below: my front-yard labyrinth, my backyard sanctuary garden – both featured during the Art & Garden Tour annually the second weekend of June. Also, two of my mixed media forest delights series.

I invite you to view my work in person: make an appointment to visit.