Traveling and the unique experiences it brings has become my greatest artistic inspiration. I went to Beijing for the first time in the Spring of 2016. I had never been to China before and wanted to experience it with fresh eyes.

A few days into the trip, I realized I was repeatedly inspired by the thoughtfully pruned trees. The blossoming cherry trees had their own vibrant beauty. However, it wasn’t just the cherry trees, but every tree throughout the city. From the parks, temples, gardens, and along the streets, all of the trees demanded respect. Many of them were just starting to leaf out which allowed me to see the structure of the trees. Such care was taken with each tree, and the older trees were well supported. In the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City, there was a very old tree with a huge steel frame around the trunk holding up the heavy branches. In the Botanical Gardens there was a 3,000 year old tree with it’s large branches supported by other trees which had been grown to hold them up.

I'm dreaming of spring! After being in sunny Mexico a couple of weeks ago, I returned back to the grey skies of Portland. But there are little growths coming out of the ground that make me happy and excited for spring.

I went through my storage and found this gem from my cellist painting days. The title is "Relativity", and is 60" x 48" painted in 2006. At the time I was working with the idea of multiple sounds of the cellists working in harmony. So I started painting two cellists on one canvas. When I hung it up yesterday for a client to see, I found it interesting that I am now putting two trees together in my current work. I enjoy seeing how the abstracted trees in my paintings, as well as the physical trees that inspired me, relate to one another. The relationship of subjects working together may be a recurring theme in my work.

While going through images to find a good photo for good wishes this Holiday, I found this one. I originally turned it down because it was too spring-like. However, I came back to it. I took this photo in the arts district in Beijing this past spring.

Today, The shortest day of the year, is a time to spend with family, observe the changes in nature and reflect on what's happened in the past year. I am so fortunate to have such great relationships with my family and friends. You have all helped me so much over the past year. Nothing can replace that. Thank you!

Tomorrow is the beginning of each day becoming lighter and brighter. This is an opportunity for new personal growth. That is why this image spoke to me this morning. I like the grouping of trees, all different, yet work together in harmony. I love the color interactions with the vibrant spring green against the old red bricks. I love seeing the bricks though the vines in which an unknown amount of new growth will appear. The graffiti on the walls adds an element of young human vitality. All together, there is such life in this photo, from old to new; from still to active; from freedom to the unknown.

I wish everyone a peaceful holiday season, a beautiful winter solstice, and a flourishing new year.

I had never been to China before, and the first thing that struck me were the hundreds of thoughtfully pruned trees everywhere. This has become the focus of my new body or work which will be exhibited in March, 2017 in Washington DC at the Susan Calloway Fine Arts Gallery. I am still creating on this body of work. You can get sneak peaks if you follow me on instagram or facebook. Or follow my blog here.

I am saddened that our country is so politically divided. Families too are divided.

The opposition reminds me of a body of work I created while living in Hawaii for a short period in 2007. I realized that in Hawaii, many opposites exist together and are dependent on one-another. I re-read my statement about that body of work (you can read here: Island Rhythms—Essential Counterparts for Life and Harmony).

It's been a while, but I've finally updated my website. I hope you enjoy it!

This new painting, A Clear View, is 58″ x 68″. It is a part of my new works I painted after spending 5 weeks in Provence last summer.

In 2010, I went to Mexico for the first time. I booked a room at La Paloma in Ajijic. Some friends of mine were looking to retire there, and were staying at the same Bed and Breakfast.

I almost didn't book the flight, because I was scared I would be bored. I knew I needed a vacation, but all of my previous vacations have been packed full with attending cultural events, visiting museums, and looking at contemporary art at the local galleries from the, usually, metropolitan cities. But this trip, I was traveling by myself to a very small village in Mexico and I didn't speak any Spanish. The B&B was owned by American's, so I felt like they could at least point me in the right direction. But my fear was that there would be nothing to do, and I would only sit by the pool. I don't like going to the beach. I don't like swimming. And I don't like sitting in the sun. With skin cancer in my family, I generally try to stay out of the sun. What if I just couldn't stand it. A claustrophobic fear came about. I decided to try and conquer that fear.

I was thrilled to see this in the May June Issue of New York Spaces Magazine. This is the cover story for this Issue. A special thanks to Edda Elias and Associates for choosing my artwork for this beautiful space. And thanks to Portland Fine Art for selling it to them.

Thanks to Susan Calloway Fine art, I was thrilled to find my artwork featured in the Gallery section of the Washington Post, Friday May 18th, 2012. This was for an exhibition "K Silve, Synaesthetic Impressions".

Recently, while riding my bike in the morning, vivid emotions and memories flooded over me. Memories from my painting days in Provence, France. Every morning, I would wake up early and start my walk to the studio. I listened to the hustle and bustle of traffic: honking cars, screeching brakes, swishing of buses lowering and rising. The world started its day. The smells are what I remember most; the mixture of diesel with the sweet scents of jasmine and juniper as well as roses and other floral scents. As I got closer to the studio, the sounds became more faint and the sweet smells became more vivid. I would become very excited. Would I find myself in the fields looking at Mt. St. Victoire or country homes, or walk amongst flower fields that I would decide I had to stop and paint. Finally, I would make it to the studio and the aromas switched to herbaceous tones of thyme, rosemary and sage mixed with oil mediums and paints. I always had a cup of rosemary tea made with a large fresh cut sprig steeped in hot water. This I loved. It was so beautiful and kept my mind free and vibrant. Then, my art day would begin. After finding the place to paint, I would get lost in my surroundings; transcending from a practical place to an emotional and instinctive one. By the end of the day I would have completed a painting. Another day in my journal of art.

These new paintings are a meditation about special places I visited during hikes around Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge. I contemplated over some of the untouched and intimate spaces realizing they are a part of a bigger picture; a part of evolution and mother nature at her best. I think it is the unknown that I am so inspired by; the awe of nature from something so ancient to something so current. I am fascinated with the hidden places where microorganisms, insects and animals are born, and how they are dependent on these delicate combination of conditions. There’s a quiet beauty which exists amongst the sounds of water falling, leaves rustling, birds chirping, and unseen creatures moving about. These special places have a spiritual aura that has mesmerized me.

I am honored to tell you I've been invited to exhibit at the Embassy in Qatar. The Doha exhibition is made up of 11 works of art (including the two above) by 8 artists. The works are officially on loan to the US Department of State's ART in Embassies Program and will be installed in the public rooms of the US Embassy residence in Doha, Qatar.  The ambassador and his staff will use the art as a tool of cultural diplomacy; the hundreds of guests who visit the residence each year will have the opportunity to learn about American art and artists.