"I’m inspired most by nature and love and believe they are one and the same. Color - bright, beautiful, bold color overwhelms my senses and the only way I’m able to communicate how I feel is through my painting, which translates my love of nature into color, space, and form. I am inspired by landscapes that fill my heart and make me dumbfounded with gratitude - these are my happy places.

My sense of time is measured by moments of substance. My painting is not only driven by the rhythm of the music that I paint, whether it be classical or jazz, it’s inspired by the rhythm of nature. When you listen to Her singing, and you notice Her colors - all of them, she becomes your muse. It’s not the drive to get to these places, it’s the moments when you are in them that stay with you long after the moment has passed. 

A happy place exists in a moment when I am present and open to all the beauty and love surrounding me in nature. My art is an extension of that connection I feel, a connection to the eternal beauty of the universe. "

-Topher Straus, June 2023