The Pacific Crest Trail Project
In 2016, I hiked 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada carrying a sketchbook and watercolors, painting en plein air from the vistas and mountaintops along the way. Reflecting on the Pacific Crest Trail now, I can see how deeply it changed me. At the time, I thought of it as a kind of traveling artist residency. I didn’t realize it would become the foundation for how I work today.
Painting on the trail meant working quickly, often during short breaks or at the end of long, exhausting days. I made a point to stop and paint even when I felt completely depleted. Those quick sketches and washes became some of the most vivid memories of the journey. Watercolor’s portability allowed me to respond in the moment — to the light, the terrain, and the emotional atmosphere of each place — in a way no photograph could capture.
That experience continues to shape my practice. My work is still rooted in painting outdoors, gathering impressions that I carry back to the studio and develop over time. Along the trail, I also created hand-painted mile marker postcards, photographing them in place and sending them to family and friends as a way of documenting the journey. What began as a simple act of recording where I was became an integral part of how I connect movement, place, and memory in my work.
The Pacific Crest Trail Paintings
available as prints in my shop
These quick studies were made along the trail and sent to friends as a way of staying connected. This ritual loosened my approach to watercolor and helped me respond more instinctively to the shifting light and landscape.