What is your medium now? (oils, acrylic, pastel, watercolor...) What medium have you always wanted to use, but haven't yet? What mediums have you used in the past? Why do you prefer your current medium?

My current medium is oil, but I have done a lot of pastel portraits and continue to use pastels almost exclusively for children's portraits. I love oils because of the variety of ways they can be used....impasto, alla prima, thinned with various mediums to delicate stains and can be applied with brushed, knives, rags or bare hands. They are versatile, portable, and very forgiving. I like a canvas with some texture and a finish with gloss, both of which are characteristics of oil paintings.

Do you think the specific art materials you use are critical to the success of your work? If so, why?

Yes, I think it is important to use quality paints and surfaces...why start out handicapped? Painting is hard enough as it is.

On the monthly paintouts, how do you decide what to paint? What draws your eye to a particular scene?

I always look for a scene that has contrasting values and interesting composition. If the composition in reality is not that interesting, I try to change things around to improve the composition.

Do you do preliminary sketches before painting your subject? In a sketchbook? Or directly on the canvas or paper? Why?

I always just paint directly on canvas without preliminary sketches. If, after 20 minutes, I am unhappy with the composition, I just wipe it out and begin again. However, I usually spend at least 10 minutes thinking about what I am going to paint before I put paint to canvas.

What colors are on your palette? Why?

I prefer a simple pallette: lemon yellow, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red light, alizerin crimson, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, burnt umber and titannium white. Sometime I add veridian green, cobalt blue, and yellow ochre.

Do you prefer wood, glass or paper for your palette surface? Why?

All are fine...but they need to be toned.

Do you prefer to sit or stand when you are painting? Why?

Stand...always! It's important to step back often.

What new art techniques have you discovered this year that have influenced your work?

I've started using the pallet knife on occasion, both for laying on impasto and scraping off paint to reveal the canvas.

When do you know a painting is really finished? Or are you always wanting to "tweak" it a bit more?

That's really the hardest part....it's just intuitive, I guess.

What plein air supplies do you recommend having in your car for spontaneous painting?

Judson Guerilla Thumb Box, water-based oils, paper towels, at least 3 6 x 8's that fit into my thumb box. I've done many nice sketches from the drivers seat of my car using my thumb-box.