My weekly encounters at the preserve become imagined landscapes through oil on unstretched canvas and acrylic gouache on handmade paper. Both the materials and the act of remembering are imperfect, emphasizing the fragile, fleeting, and often hidden qualities of these environments.

My body appears within these landscapes, separate yet enclosed by wildlife carrying on with their quiet routines. They possess an understanding that exists beyond me. Discovering George Schaller's belief that every creature has "its own window on reality" affirmed my search for a new perspective. One that is rooted in empathy, humility, patience, and respect. These values shape not only how I move through the natural world but how I make my art.

By placing my body within these scenes, I am acknowledging ... I am a visitor, a guest in a world that does not depend on or require my presence. These paintings are acts of ecological attention. They are grounded in the belief that stories deepen responsibility, especially at a time when human development fragments the places that sustain life.

Each canvas is my way of returning to these landscapes again and again. Not to possess them, but to learn from them. The work reminds me how I need nature far more than it needs me. The most meaningful transformation begins with paying attention. I am still learning how to be changed by what I am learning to love.