I am honored to have one of my paintings so prominently placed in this beautiful Promontory home. It has been my pleasure to work with this wonderful couple and the ladies at the Summit Gallery on this very special commission.
There are moments in the creative process that feel less like making something new and more like uncovering something that has been waiting patiently to be seen. The Quiet Ascent is one of those pieces.
This painting began not with a fixed image, but with a feeling—an openness to possibility, and a shared trust in what might emerge. The couple has collected two of my paintings and thought of me to do this piece. They were drawn to my work for its sense of atmosphere and emotional resonance, and from the beginning, there was an understanding that the final piece would be guided as much by intuition as by intention.
The composition revealed itself slowly. A horizon just beginning to glow. Light gathering before it fully declares itself. And rising from that stillness, a stand of tall, stoic trees—rooted, yet responsive—moving gently with the unseen rhythm of air. They became the quiet anchors of the piece, holding both presence and motion, strength and surrender.
Sunrise, for me, has always carried a kind of quiet power. It doesn’t arrive with force. It unfolds. There is a moment just before the light breaks where everything feels suspended—where the world inhales. That threshold is where this painting lives.
Working on brushed aluminum allows me to build and release layers in a way that mirrors that experience. Light doesn’t just sit on the surface—it moves through it, reflects, shifts. I worked wet-on-wet, allowing edges to dissolve and reform, returning again and again with fresh eyes, letting the painting tell me what it needed rather than imposing a rigid outcome. The trees emerged through subtraction as much as addition—pulled forward from atmosphere rather than placed upon it.
In commissions, there is always a delicate balance between honoring the collector’s vision and remaining true to the integrity of the work. My approach is rooted in trust—on both sides. By entrusting me with the process, the collector allowed the piece to become something more than a literal interpretation. It became an experience. A presence.
The Quiet Ascent speaks to that subtle, often unnoticed movement in life—the internal rising, the moments of still growth, the quiet shifts that shape us over time. It holds something enduring.
I’m deeply grateful to the family for their openness, and to Summit Gallery for facilitating a connection that allowed this work to come into being.
Some paintings announce themselves. Others, like this one, arrive softly—and stay.
If you have been thinking about commissioning a painting for a special place in your home, I would be happy to accomidate. Simply click here and reach out to me and we can get started.