I was born in Wichita, Kansas, so tornadoes are a part of my heritage. My tornado paintings are allegorical representations of the haunting beauty and heart-rending horror of nature. These paintings are also scientifically accurate renderings of meteorological phenomena such as funnel clouds, wall clouds, supercells, and electrical storms. I paint only in oils, in the classical style, employing the same method used by my favorite landscape painters: Rembrandt, Claude Lorrain, Thomas Gainsborough and Albert Bierstadt. This method -- first rendering a detailed grayscale drawing (known as grisaille), and then applying thin layer upon layer of color -- was taught to me by contemporary master painter Michael J. Deas. Many of my paintings are on copper -- a favorite painting support of Rembrandt. The smooth surface of copper lends itself to the soft blending required for painting clouds; the reflective properties of copper enhance the jewel-like luminosity of thin layers and glazes of oil color.