The concept of shaped paintings capitalizes on the ability to extend the visual experience beyond the boxed picture plane, offering infinite opportunities for total inventiveness. This self- imposed challenge of creating acrylic shaped paintings on canvas stretched over board excites me. My paintings offer a rich surface texture and a sense of playful execution. Physical openings within these shaped compositions create cast shadows and invite relationships between the surrounding wall spaces and the paintings. I continue to base my compositions on nature and focus on creating the illusion of depth with impasto paint applications, light and shadows with warm and cool color relationships.