Art as I experience it is a response to the stimulus of beauty observed, relished and absorbed - a joyous occupation almost totally devoid of conscious mental effort.  It is closer to meditation than to work.
I face any drawing surface and the images flow freely, defining and describing themselves with surprising clarity.  I do not know ahead of the event what a drawing will contain and I am always surprised  and confounded by the outcome.  I cannot tell you what they are about, though I am their vehicle.  The only intellectual judgments of which I am aware are those involved with choice of materials.  I do everything in my power to avoid transient materials - those which would shorten the lives of the work.  So I have the great pleasure of working on the finest handmade papers with high grade archival materials. I do not work from still lifes or models. The creatures that come forth seem to me to be derivative of Asian and European renaissance models, though I have never actually seen their like in life.  Those particular areas of cultural production command most of my attention, though I see beauty in the art of all cultures and historic epochs.  They nuture me and I am aware of being a continuation of those energies and consider it a privelege, and responsibility and a strength in times of self doubt. As regards the imagery: the pictures seem to capture a fraction of  a second, frozen as in a photograph, depicting vignettes of interaction between fantastic creatures from a pre-modern world with psychological or accidental relationships.  If they are symbolic, their larger meaning always eludes me and I - out of appreciation for them - avoid interpretation, approaching them as I would abstract work, from a direction of color, form, etc. That being said, this much I do know - Pearls seem to represent integrity.  They arise from nature, are exceedingly beautiful, and reflect the entire world around them.  Feathers are flight, overview, liberty or mobility.  Flowers convey the courage to thrive and proliferate.
I feel very disconnected when I am not working, so I work nearly every day.  It is hard for me to go hours without sketching or performing art-related tasks.  I have been like this since childhood.  I look forward to working until my life has run its course, but I am grateful for what I have already experienced as an artist.