For the last twenty years I have painted exclusively Plein Air. Earlier in my career, I lived in Philadelphia and painted on the streets. Fighting the elements, the dreaded exhaust fumes, and the street people who tried to steal my paintbrushes, I painted cityscapes of Philadelphia: the buildings, cars and occasionally a few trees. This was the beginning of my personal journey working directly from the environment. At first I painted the city, and then I moved into the woods.

     Although I left Philadelphia some twenty years ago, my paintings have continued to evolve and mature. Buildings started to disappear. More and more trees were included and progressively less and less signs of man.

     In 1991, I finally settled in the town of Saco, just south of Portland, where I feel very much at home. When I first arrived, I painted many of the buildings around my home. One day a force stronger than I had ever experienced, compelled me to cross the road and head into the woods to paint. Suddenly, the buildings disappeared and the trees took over. This was the true beginning of my awe of nature and God’s power confirming in me the environmentalist I have always been, and the advocate and staunch supporter of preservation I have become. This force continues to personally fascinate and stimulate me. It is the energy that motivates me and engages me intellectually.

     My paintings represent the landscape in which I live. I paint entirely from life, starting and finishing each painting on location near my home. Here I have found a spiritual connection with nature, light and atmosphere .I respond to nature in a direct way, by using color to represent light and light to represent form. I make little effort to copy nature, rather, I respond to it. The places I paint tend to go unnoticed by most people. By painting these seemingly ordinary places with passion and vigor, I hope to transform these scenes into extraordinary pictures for others to share in my celebration.

     After having taught for twenty years and having painted for thirty, my life has become about celebration and the joy of loving and giving. The more I give, the more I receive back. Today I am happily living my life with my wife, Mary, our daughter, Indiana Hope, our son, Charles Asher, and our wonderful cat Oliver, in Saco, Maine, across the road from the woods.