i n t r o d u c t i o n  Biography

I am told many people saw my artistic potential when I was quite young, but I have looked at examples of my childhood drawings and wonder how anybody could be so sure. What is clear is that I never lost interest in drawing.


My first awareness of a skill or aptitude in the visual arts came in Mr. Lindquist's junior high school class. He taught a disciplined course and I learned the rules of perspective and other "foundation" fundamentals from him. A year or so later I was fortunate to fall under the guidance of three exceptional high school art instructors: Peter Boyer, Edith Horsburgh, and Cliff Hilliard. Between them, they developed an inspiring and challenging art program that, through the years, led many of their students to become successful visual artists.

 

Toward the end of high school I began doing layout and freelance graphic design work and this continued through college. I attended Pitzer College and received a degree in Fine Art from the California State University, Fullerton. In 1986 I took along some painting equipment on a trip through the Grand Canyon. In a matter of a few weeks, my lifelong interest in looking at the Earth's geography turned into a passion for painting it.
Since that Summer in 1986 I have received numerous awards in competitions for work in a variety of media: watercolors, oils, acrylics, and pastels. I have earned exhibitions in Yosemite National Park (as Artist in Residence) and Grand Canyon National Park.  My pastel painting Glowing Canyonlands was selected among the top 100 paintings in 1998's Arts For the Parks competition.


Designated Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America in 1992, my work in soft pastel has been featured in the magazines American Artist, Pastel Artist International, and The Pastel Journal. My drawing and painting technique are featured in the books Acrylic Painting Techniques, Painting the Many Moods of Light (published by North Light Books), The Best of Pastel 2, and The Best of Sketching published by Rockport Publishing.
Interest in trains has led to my work being featured in Railfan & Railroad magazine; exhibited in the California State Railroad Museum; sponsored in exhibition by Caltrans Division of Rail/Amtrak; and used to illustrate the music of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, and Waylon Jennings on the music CD Between the Rails: America's Train Songs (available on the GNP Crescendo Records label).
I am also noted for my paintings of golfers and golf holes. On the Tee with Jack Nicklaus at Bel-Air Country Club (which includes Byron Nelson and Tiger Woods among the gallery of onlookers) appears in the book Bel-Air Country Club: A Living Legend.
My ability to paint a variety of subjects leads me to accept a wide range of commissioned painting assignments . 

My original work hangs in many private and corporate collections. I am represented by the following fine art galleries: Stary Sheets Fine Art Galleries, Poulsen Gallery, and Judith Hale Gallery.

I conduct demonstrations and teach workshops in drawing and painting.  For a schedule of shows, exhibitions, demonstrations, and workshops see the events section.