This charcoal drawing of Asian architecture silhouetted by a sunset was drawn in 1998. Deep reds, oranges, and yellows were blended across the background. The chalky pastels were rubbed back and forth and then dark blue and black lines were added to create a unique style in the sky. Quick and energetic lines and squiggles were drawn with black charcoal to create the hilltop and Asian architecture in the foreground. The charcoal was then smudged and drawn again to further reinforce the depth of the shadows. While the intense red colors and black lines in the sky add a certain tension to the artwork, the overall composition of the black and red shapes of the foreground and background encourage a harmonious balance with reversed symmetry.

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This is an oil painting of an old sailing ship at sunset, which looks vaguely like a ghost ship. The big boat was painted in 1997 and the artwork is approximately 2′x3′. The background sky and sunset were painted first, followed by the glowing hills and buildings. Water and reflections were painted next, simply by mirroring the shapes and colors painted above. Deep greens and blues were added to the murky water, and there is some tension created by the bright sun disappearing into the surrounding darkness. Lastly the boat and foreground were painted with similarly brisk brush strokes. Details like rope, flags, netting, sails, and waves splashing around the ship were painted last.

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This is a charcoal and pastel drawing of two trees created in 1998. A rich blue background was first applied to the paper with broad strokes, using the long edge of the pastel stick. Hints of green and blue were also applied to ground, with the white of the paper used to indicate the sandy landscape. This helps to invoke a desolate and cold feeling in the drawing. Black charcoal and white chalk was then used to loosely draw in the trees, using thin heavy lines. The short shadows indicate a high sun, and the barren trees add to the desperation of life trying to grow in a harsh environment.

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This charcoal drawing of a bonsai tree with the sun in the background was sketched in 1998. A tension is created between the contrast of soft pastels used for the background sky, sun, and atmosphere, and the crisp dark silhouette of the bonsai tree and rocky landscape. The soft orange and pink sun was drawn first, and then surrounded by the blue sky. The cliffs and rocks were drawn next with charcoal, with the bonsai tree itself loosely sketched after that. Blue highlights were added to the rock face, and more energetic lines were utilized to sketch the twigs and branches of the tree.

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These 2 landscape artworks are painted with a mix of acrylic paint, charcoal and pastels, and some latex paint. The first piece of art emphasizes a strong, deep horizon line to pull the viewer into the landscape. Once there, the eyes are able to slowly find their way around the multiple layers of color and value. Subtle changes in value in the real painting were unable to be replicated in the photograph below.

The second landscape painting has energetic strokes of color, all swirling around to form the semblance of a landscape. The art is abstract, with more weight given to the bottom of the art, rather than the horizon. A side to side motion in the paint, and sprinkles of white chalk, add a unique feeling of tumultuousness to the entire work of art.

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