Artist Bio

I was born in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Both parents were engineers in the aerospace industry. My mother designed packaging for rocket engines, and my father was a chemist developing materials used in space exploration. At home, I never got more than coloring books. I was told art was a dead end. In college my mom encouraged me to become a draftsman. My drafting instructor showed me there are other ways to make art.

I began working as a Technical Illustrator at the age of 19, and dropped out of college. I continued my career for over 25 years. During that time I worked on large 3D mechanical airbrush illustrations. This was before the days of 3D CAD, and you were given a stack of blueprints to work from. I also worked in graphic design, creating poster displays, broshures, and lots of boring charts and graphs. Using my drafting knowlege, I re-designed a display lobby which was used for Congressional visits. These tours helped to achieve funding for several large government projects.

Since retiring I have spent my time traveling and painting. I am at my happiest when I am doing something creative, no matter what that is. Art is who I am. To be able to spread cheer though my art is one of God's greatest gifts. I am thankful for the chance.

 

My inspiration comes from nature and the sights around me. Traveling and exploring new places, I take it all in. The textures of a rock, the flight of a bird, the color of new fallen snow, are all inspiration for me.

My use of a grisaille underpainting in my earlier acrylics were influenced by the Old Masters such as Caravaggio and Rubens. Some of the more modern artists of the 20th century, such as Parrish, Mucha, and Klimt, for my use of color and light.

Because of today's artists such as Richard McKinley, Dawn Emerson, Richard Robertson, and many others, I find myself wanting to go in different directions. I want to experiment with more texture and a more abstract approach, be more gestural. I find that figure drawing helps me with this. So now I am starting to experiment with painting knives and oils. I'll see where this takes me.

 

You will find a level of vibrant realism in my still lifes and abstracted floral images. I enjoy making the images pop off the canvas. I guess this is the Illustrator in me coming out.

Working in acrylics, I have experimented with the same glazing technique, influenced by my love of the old Renaissance masters. Working in pastels, I use a loose juicy watercolor underpainting as a start, sometimes creating my own textured papers as well. I love the vibrancy and texture of pastel.

My ultimate goal is to share my vision of truth, peace, and global fellowship through art, while dealing with the realities of everyday life in the trenches. The light and happiness a person feels when viewing my art lets me know that I have accomplished my immediate goals as an artist.

 

As a technical illustrator/graphic designer, I was awarded six STC (Society for Technical Communications) awards in 1998; with two going to the International competition, one of which won the International Award of Merit. I received another STC Award of Excellence, before leaving my full-time job in 1999.

I studied mechanical drafting and airbrush illustration at Pierce Junior College in Los Angeles, California. After moving to Modesto, California, I took several fine art classes at Modesto Junior College to enhance my career as a technical illustrator. Figure drawing with Dr. Richard Serros made a huge impact for me, as well as watercolor with Dan Petersen. I have taken workshops with Robert Burridge, Richard Robertson, and Dawn Emerson.

I have shown my work at local art shows and galleries around the Modesto, CA area. I now reside in Placitas, NM.