DescriptionThroughout history, wandering was not a way to waste time, but something people did for the purpose of discovery. When I go outside to look for new things to paint, or familiar things to see in new ways, I am aware I am not embarking on a journey as consequential as the Mayflower. However, the main reason I do go outside is to discover. The things I find are familiar and small, seemingly insignificant when compared to discovering a new nation or an unknown land. A deformed tree, falling leaves, markings of the people who have been there before, are the things that peak my interest when I am exploring. Paul Nabhan notices, "how much time adults spend scanning the landscape for picturesque panoramas and scenic overlooks. While the kids were on their hands and knees, engaged with what was immediately before them, we adults traveled by abstraction." With this in mind, I want to go back to looking at my immediate surroundings with that sense of wonderment I have lost over time. I want my paintings to capture the excitement and energy a child would have when confronting the immediate world. Part of my responsibility as a painter is to communicate my visual experiences with others. My paintings are rooted in reality, presenting the viewer with places and objects they may have otherwise taken for granted during a walk outside. There are innumerable distractions keeping people inside now. With my paintings I am bringing people back outside, even if they are looking at them inside on a gallery wall.