This series of works, Peace Taking Flight, was inspired simply by a bird, Cedar Waxwing, that visits the trees just outside our windows for only a few weeks each summer. Each sculpture/painting pays tribute to an example of our feathered friends.

My love for the harmony of nature and the essence of wild birds in their natural habitat is revealed through abstract sculpture and oil painting. Oil painting has always generated a sense of peace for me, and when combined with live-edge and natural woods, this series has taken flight.

Early in the series I started using live-edge slabs and have recently introduced 'found' driftwood pieces from here in Delaware, plus Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay shores. I enjoy using both directions and find the statements equally rewarding and visually successful. In a recent exhibit there was a visual balance that was well received by the gallery visitors.

Also early in the series the painting techniques employed brush work with smooth areas of movement in some of the pieces, as well as 'painting' with the palette knife in other pieces. Of late the latter has seemed to emulate the story of birds in flight just that much better and is a direction I feel confident and comfortable with.

The use of LED lighting in some of the pieces is an enhancement that brings a subtle presence to the experience.

My current direction may include the recent acquisition of salvage dimensional woods with great character, from a 200 year old home in town that was undergoing renovations. Those combined with the refined live edge slabs, or the more natural driftwood finds, are under development.