"We all experience moments of clarity. Something clicks, and we wake from the dream we think of as reality into a truly conscious present. An instant lit with awareness. Those are moments I live for, that inform my art.

Once, while I was taking an early winter walk through the treacherously icy woods of a northern Vermont park, I experienced just such a moment. Before me, a single branch of vividly golden beach leaves vigorously waved in an otherwise still and frozen landscape. It was as if a spell had been broken and I awoke changed and challenged. I remember holding my breath, filled with awe, wonder and a renewed appreciation for the beauty that is always present when we are truly conscious.

Now I seek such moments. I cultivate them. They are almost part of my everyday life. I try to paint them for you to see too. I offer these images as an opportunity to pause and be present as homage to the audacious beauty that surrounds us and the moments that illuminate our world.