Every painting is a culmination of the days and years of experiences prior. Much of my process is intuitive and I really try to tap into my subconscious while painting... I think it results in a more authentic outcome.

I work on several canvases at once. I've learned that if I stand in front of one painting for too long it loses its initial freshness, I like to maintain the gesture and leave traces of process. My method is to use many, many layers of colors. The color underneath always influences the visible surface.

I love working in series, "difference and repetition" is a bit of a mantra for me. I have always worked in series, some continue extensively, some drop off after a few compositions and then return at a later date. I almost approach in a scientific method of a having a constant (canvas scale and basic composition) and a variable (weight of line and color or contrast) but then I'll let loose and allow the painting to work itself out, sometimes it doesn't even come to fruition and I restrict and begin again.

I've painted every genre and whether the painting is representational setup, figure, plein-air or non-objective I feel there is a continuity throughout, which I think has to be my autonomy showing through.

I like to create spatial plays, enforcing the 2-D picture plane while creating visual depth simultaneously. I like landscapes as a subject because you can play with them in such a way that still-lifes must maintain certain rules. You can reduce to its essence. I continually am drawn to the horizon and keep working with variations of it..

My process begins with observation, I'm constantly taking in information, sometimes it sits in my mind for a short time, other times it takes months or years to turn into a painting. I do a lot of cross-country driving and will occasionally create watercolor sketches to work from later in the studio. I will also occasionally paint plein-air but with a difficult schedule I usually work in studio.

My dad and I own and operate Columbine Gallery in Loveland, CO together. He established the gallery and the National Sculptors' Guild in 1992 and we specialize in placing monumental sculpture across the nation. We work really well together and have a synchronicity that enables us to anticipate the others needs without conversation. We also both love helping people learn to live with art. Because we both put in average 10-12 hour days 5-6 days a week to the galleries it leaves me with partial weekends and a few hours early mornings and late nights for painting, but when it is your passion you put the hours in and enjoy the process. I honestly don't know what else I'd rather be doing.

Managing the galleries is a great counter to my artwork. I consider working the gallery a positive part of my painting as it forces me to walk away from a painting and return to it with fresh eyes instead of overworking a piece. It's also really good for me to get out of my solitary existence as a painter and interact with other artists and the gallery patrons. I enjoy meeting patrons, it is nice to know my work is being appreciated and going to good homes.

I choose to paint because I'm a very independent person and it is one of the few forms that doesn't require assistance from another artist or shared equipment. I like the option to also paint alongside others if the opportunity arises. On breaks from school I would paint with the Schmid group. It's fun to work with artist like Jim Biggers, Cathy Goodale, Lu Haskew, Teresa Vito. They are always down-to-earth and tell things exactly how it is. Constructive criticism is very important for progression, even if you don't use the suggestions, it brings awareness of what the viewer is initially seeing and sometimes you are blind to it from working so close to it. Critiques at KCAI were equally helpful. Both from professors and students, nothing was personal, everyone was just trying to make a good painting great. I still consider comments from my senior professor, Ron Slowinski, pushing me to make my color speak to the viewer.

Essentially growing up in an art gallery (since age 15) I've always been fortunate to be surrounded by supportive, creative people. I work daily with artists like Jane DeDecker , Kathi Caricof, Mark Leichliter, Denny Haskew, Pat Howard, Lu Haskew and Teresa Vito among others. I've known these artists since I was 15 years old and they have all become mentors to me. Their passion and actions to make their passion known to the world have motivated me into that same direction. The impression left on me is that hard work and putting your"SELF" into everything you do reaps rewards. You can learn just from being in another artists' presence, seeing their studio and watching how they look at a subject, or the manner they set up their easel and palette. Everyone paints their own way. If you are authentic in your approach it cannot be helped..

I love Art History and always have. I love learning about the artists and how they lived, just as much as looking at the artwork. There are so many works that I appreciate which may never show in my work... Specific influences are Agnes Martin, Morris Louis, Degas, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Diebenkorn, Rothko... I also find a correlation with Gertrude Stein's writing. With her rhythms and use of repetition and difference. She is my favorite author and being the 'Mother of Modernism' she has probably impacted my life beyond comprehension, I appreciate her commitment to supporting other artists, pushing them to new heights while pushing herself. I hope to influence the world in such a positive, impactful manner as her."-Alyson Kinkade