About the Artist

At age 7 I decided I wanted to be an artist.
 
I was totally absorbed with the idea of being able to create an alternate reality. Subjects in the early years were primarily based on fantasy and science fiction, which often found their way into homemade comic books. I used whatever I could get my hands on, typically pencils, pens, and markers. Movies, TV, books, and comic books fueled my fascination for fiction. I spent hours building space ships, Transformers, and Star Wars sets out of cardboard, tape, and colored paper. This period ended with Junior High and was capped with the spring day I decided to paint my favorite comic book characters life size on my bedroom wall, much to my parent’s dismay.

High school brought art classes where I was pushed into new subject matter and media, most notably still life, watercolor, and India ink. I took every art class offered and when those ran out drafting and shop classes. My ability to draw greatly improved during this period with instruction and influence from Gary Carlson.

In college I found a heightened appreciation for sculpture with bronze casting. While the end results were strong, it cemented my love for the expediency and direct nature of 2D art. My drawing skills were pushed to new levels under the instruction of Mary Griep in several classes including my favorite; figure drawing. It wasn’t until college that I would find my way to oil paint as a medium. Unlike watercolor I loved the ability to create thick layers and unlike acrylic the mixing and blending of colors on canvas was possible for long periods of time. It was the perfect fit and began my lifelong love of this medium. The instruction of Wendell Arneson immediately influenced my color palate and style. I was pushed to try many different styles and approaches, but eventually found a personal style further influenced by the impressionist and post impressionist movements.