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?

I use acrylic, mostly because it dries fast and I can make changes or glaze colors on top. Also I don't like solvents. I quite like oils particularly Alkyd oils which also dry faster. I have also used water miscible oils, and quite like those. In the end I like water cleanup. I have found that with my style it makes no difference visually what medium I use.

What colors are on your palette? Why?

I like to limit the palette to a warm and cool of each primary plus white: that is , cadmium red and viridian, cadmium yellow and naples yellow, ultramarine blue and thalo blue. Then I usually add some earth colors sienna and umber.

What time of day are you most creative? Early morning? Afternoon? Early evening? Late at night? Which season do you feel most creative? Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer? Why?

Early morning and late at night, not sure why. I like fall best for the colors, but late fall is even better when there are just a few leaves left clinging to almost bare branches. Spring is also nice just before the new greens are fully out. I find Summer difficult as you have to work so hard to vary the greens. Townscapes are better in late fall because of the slanting light and combination of almost bare trees and buildings.

Do you have a personal website? Did you design it? Do you maintain it? If yes, how has that helped you market your art?

Yes, I have a website. My son got me started. Now I design and maintain it using Microsoft Front Page software. The main use is as a catalogue/brochure of your work. It allows a patron or gallery to get a total picture of your work with just a few clicks. I don't sell from my website, but it has resulted in many sales and some commissions.

Though most of us prefer working outdoors, do you prefer a studio where you live or maintaining a separate space? Why?

I have a studio on the fourth floor of our townhouse. No need for a separate space. It's a multipurpose room, with a sleep sofa for occasional guests, a desk with a computer and printer etc. The easel and art equipment space is quite small. The walls are covered with my work.

Who or what got you interested in plein air painting?f

I took a course with Ed Cooper when he was teaching. He made it look so easy, I was hooked.

Can you describe a comical situation that occurred during one of your painting sessions that others would enjoy hearing?

Some people don't like kids when they are working. I quite like it, especially the comments: " mister you missed that boat, or, that doesn't look like a dog, or can you paint me? !" I keep a small panel handy and sometimes I say " ok here's a panel, a brush with paint on it , you have a go" this is especially fun with very young kids 3 to 5 years, sometimes they paint quite well.

In light of the current world climate, what do you feel is the role of the artist? ( For instance, do landscape painters have a responsibility to record nature before it's developed?

How ever good the painting is , it does not substitute for the real thing, so preservation is the key , not recording. Europe long ago realized they had to control land development before the whole place got paved over. I hope it happens in the USA before its too late. It's a political issue, in that sense we have a responsibility, recording is nice but we have to be active citizens too.

What exhibition have you attended recently that inspired you? Why? Tell us about the show.

The Constable exhibition at the National Gallery is incredible. I grew up a few miles from Constables home in Suffolk, which has been preserved as a local park. You can still see the River Stour and the place where he painted "The Haywain" and the various other rural barge scenes he painted. The show was great in that it featured his "6 foot paintings" which incredibly were first done full size in plein air, then done again in studio. The National displayed them side by side.

What painting would you love to have hanging in your home? Why?

I think one of Birstadts magnificent scenes of the Rocky Mountains. I love to copy favorite artists; I now have hanging in my house copies of Sargent (2), Velasques (2), Vermeer (2), Degas, Renoir (The Boating Party). So that's one way to get them!