"I was unprepared for my reaction when I visited Ireland in the spring of ’09 on a family trip. I had visited England and painted a series called “Chelwood Gate” based on my reaction to the lovely English countryside, but Ireland was a completely different experience. The intensity of Irish spirituality and emotional attachment to their jewel-like island was overwhelming. Dublin is alive with music and culture, and the montage of the Trinity College library, the Book of Kell exhibition, dancing in the taverns, the mix of rain and sunlight, all became imprinted in my mind’s eye and emotionally alive for me.

We traveled westward across the country to Galway and the oceanside town of Clifden. The vast bogs and barren stretches were breathtaking, and the ruins of plague towns, now little more than outlines on the landscape, were heartbreaking. There, the rich shades of green, blues and orange varied by the intermittent rain and sun created images in my mind that demanded I capture my impressions on canvas. I’ve tried to share my passion for these wonderful landscapes in the rain with a series including the eight paintings in this exhibition."