I begin each painting taking my desired colors for a test drive and mixing them in my sketchbook. This first step enables me to see all the various hues and values available to me. Layering and playing on wood panels with acrylic, I make shapes and marks using a collection of tools, pens and graphite. I want the viewer to delight in the quiet conversation of textures and patterns. I’m told people enjoy the whimsy and poetic richness of my work. Glazes give each painting a luminous glow and integrate the elements. I work in multiples, which keeps me from overworking a piece, jumping every half hour or so from one panel to the next, each piece informing the other. I may use a rotary sander or steel wool to excavate underlying areas revealing texture and forgotten colors, collage with image transfers from my own photography, as well as stencils and old engravings. I react, like a call and response game, following my intuition as the design and shapes progress to a finished painting.