As a painter, I interpret the natural world from different perspectives: as an observed specimen, an aesthetic concept, a metaphor, and a subject that represents ephemeral experience. My most recent body of work examines the symbolism, contradiction, and pleasure embedded in Dutch floral still-life painting of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I am investigating this traditional genre as a commentary on the complexities of our time and a continuation of my interest in the intersection of nature and culture. In a static gallery setting, my paintings are a portrayal of the serendipity and vitality of the garden. For the passing viewer, my work prolongs the fleeting quality of the natural world and offers a moment of repose during a scheduled day.