Original Paintings

The Orange Street Bridge stretches across the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula, near the end point of one of my favorite walks. It's a place I return to often -  after the farmer's market, between meetings during a work day, while my kids play at Dragon's Hollow or ride the carousel. I'm drawn by the changing light on the water, the quiet rhythm of the river, and the feeling of transition as nature flows through the city, under the bridge, and back out into the wild.

Rather than capturing a specific moment, this painting reflects the atmosphere of that familiar path in early autumn, when the sun is still warm but the air is beginning to crisp. Soft reflections, shifting light, and expressive brushwork invite the viewer to slow down and experience the calm that can be found in an ordinary afternoon outdoors.

Growing up, my dad had a boat fondly called the Stinky B. It was a repurposed tugboat with little shade, wooden benches for seats, and a handle he'd screwed onto the bow so I could sit up there in my red life jacket, riding the waves as we trolled for kingfish around the oil rigs off Port Aransas.

Three fish rest shoulder to shoulder in after a long hot day, dead but not defeated, each wearing an expression that feels distinctly its own. This painting is a small tribute to those hot Gulf summers, to fishing with dad, and to the soulfulness and personality all creatures possess.