Statement, Bio, and CV
Statement about my work
When I was 8 years old, I walked into the Arizona Desert, alone. Uncertainty became my companion. Those experiences taught me to see the world differently. I became sensitive to the energy of living things and to the reality beneath the surface. Nothing was as it seemed. I found that prevailing standards and conventional wisdom never lead anywhere interesting. So, I paint ideas about people, places and things from a subtly unconventional point of view. They blend psychology, allegory, metaphor, and symbols into images about moods, relationships, dreams, and possibilities.
I do not paint by formula. I have an idea, apply some paint to the canvas, and the paint and emerging image lead me from there. The idea is more important than its appearance or manner of execution.
Regarding materials, I paint with oil. I rarely use any mediums other than Gamsol solvent. When I travel, I like to sketch my surroundings in watercolor or on my iPad. When the mood strikes, I also create assemblage sculptures.
Brief Bio and Formative Lessons
I was born in Wisconsin, spent my formative years in Tucson, Arizona, traveled and lived abroad for 14 years, and currently live in Colorado. Along with a lifetime of painting, I studied small mammals in the southwestern US and Mexico, wrote AI software, worked on cruise ships, and was a psychology professor. I have exhibited paintings and sculptures in Colorado, New York, California, Oregon, and in Germany.
Formative Years: My early life experiences in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona influenced my outlook on life and art. They taught me to see the world differently: My desert journey spanned several years and countless miles of brush, cacti, and rock. I hiked to the tops of hills and crawled down into abandoned mines. Was surrounded by coyotes, javelina, and hundreds of bats. Ate cactus and agave fruits and talked with plants and animals.
In front of Moulin Galette, Montmarte, Paris