Judging by the numbers, I’m far more interested in landscapes than anything else. I suppose that living next door to the Point Reyes National Seashore makes it hard not to be interested in landscapes.

      The numbers, however, are slightly distorted by requests. Friends and collectors ask for specific things, and over the years I eventually get around to doing them. They are inevitably landscapes, but I must confess to some strong personal bias as well.
      For one thing, I’m fascinated by the shapes our Bishop Pines take as they grow and age on our windswept ridge. The tortured shapes are infinite. Each tree is an individual with its own fascinating narrative. If I did pines alone, I would never run out of models. Our stand of Bishops, by the way, is said to be the largest on the Pacific Coast.

      It should also be apparent that I favor water, particularly our own Tomales Bay. This bias has been strengthened over the past few years from my early morning rowing routine. Nearly every dawn, if the weather is favorable, I spend at least an hour on the bay. The dawn light is spiritually uplifting. Seeing the cliffs along the west shore catch the morning light provides an endless source of inspiration, and I’m told rowing is good exercise.

      I’m often asked if I base the images on photos. Although I do occasionally, I prefer to work from memory, being more interested in the feeling a place gives rather than the actual rocks, branches and other details.