BIO (and a little rambling)

 
   I was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. I graduated from a comprehensive three year art/advertising art program at Spokane Falls Community College, and did my internship in Portland, Or. For over 20 years I have been involved in professional art of some kind. Advertising Agencies, design studios, freelancing, murals, fine art commissions and custom signs.

   Through these years and professional changes, the one constant has been the drawings and paintings I create in my home studio.
  
   I draw and paint because I love to do it, and I'm not happy when I don't. It's one of the things that makes me feel alive. The subjects of my work can come from anywhere, but primarily from the Pacific and Inland Northwest where I live, and the island of Borneo, where I have visited several times. I choose to paint in a representational style because it fits me. Through the years I have found my tastes and interests to be somewhat eclectic, and painting this way allows me to express my ideas in the best possible manner. Along the way there has been no one great notion or genre that has grabbed me and made me theirs, nor have I tried to tell the world that I have created the latest "ism" that must be followed and admired. Instead I allow my artistic muses to visit often. They don't stay too long, they come back and bring me something new, and I start painting again.

   I mostly paint using oils. Most of my paintings do have at least one figure in them. I like to portray real people relating to their environment and/or circumstance. I do like to make the viewer think about what the person or people in the painting might be thinking or feeling, without me telling them directly. You may find irony, idealism, wit, conflict, or solitude when viewing my work. Or maybe not.

   I usually paint in the studio using reference sketches and photos gathered from my travels and day to day life. I normally start a painting by drawing small sketches and work my way up from there. I tend to draw and paint everyday scenes that are slowly disappearing from our way of life. From a small orchard in Eastern Washington to an outdoor market in the mountains of  Borneo, I paint these because I find them interesting and noble. If I feel the need to add commentary to the piece, well then I must do so. 
As our lives become busier and more complex, I find it exhilarating to slow it down and celebrate the everyday, because every day can be worth celebrating.