I paint because I want to re-trace the inert energy of what lies around me. I yearn to show movement. I see twirly bulges and idiosyncratic shapes that I desire to commit to a canvas with luscious swaths of paint. But it’s not just lively shapes that beckon me. Choosing my subject enables me to take a closer look at our economy and its effects on our environment. I feel conflicted in that I am an active participant in a society whose behavior, intentional or not, carries impacts to the planet. My paintings of industrial urban landscapes, such as the Oakland Ports, convey the complexity I feel regarding the consequences of allowing our economy to be prioritized over our environment and my role in it.