Biography

I grew up in Queens in NYC and my earliest art memory is of sitting next to Alan and Ernie in kindergarten and drawing everything they drew — mostly fighter planes and battleships. After kindergarten and away from their influence all I drew were horses, my lifelong passion. I always wanted to be an artist although it wasn’t encouraged in my family, who hoped I would choose a more sustainable career.

I left New York behind to attend St. Olaf College in Minnesota for 2 years and Macalester College after that, where I received a B.A. in Humanities in 1973. In 1979 I moved west to Portland, Oregon and influenced by the artistic spirit of the Northwest, I studied jewelry fabrication and metalworking for 4 years at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts. I made custom jewelry for a few years but my career took a sudden detour when I went into business with a friend restoring and selling 60’s vintage muscle cars, mostly GTOs. To support this new endeavor I took the 2-year auto technology program at Portland Community College learning about all things automotive. I have spent many golden hours in junkyards collecting car parts and at auto swap meets selling them. Later on, I learned to weld at PCC and occasionally do some steel sculpture when I want a break from painting.

When the car market sagged in 1997, it was time to realize my early dream of becoming a painter although I had never stopped drawing. I began my quest by cornering nationally well-known artists at art shows and asking them for lessons. They were kind enough to encourage me and guided me to schools and programs where many of them gave workshops. It was a perfect solution and to this day I still take an occasional workshop to get new ideas and sharpen my skills.

I currently sell my work at Volcano Art Center on the Big Island of Hawaii where I paint volcanoes and lavascapes — the basis for a solo show in 2001. Recently, one of my images was chosen to illustrate a permanent signboard at the Visitor’s Center at Volcanoes National Park. Here in the Northwest, I paint more traditional landscapes and of course, horses.

I live in Portland most of the year but also have a small, older home in Hilo, Hawaii that always needs work! These days I share my life with 3 horses, my partner Jim, and a very demanding cat.


my studio

Technique Notes:
I have many “favorite” artists but I particularly like the French Barbizon painters, the American impressionists, and the great American illustrators — both past and current. My style varies from representational to impressionistic depending upon the subject and my favorite medium is oil for its layered complexity, although I also enjoy working in soft pastels which allows me to draw more.

I am mainly a studio painter, but there are times I work on location, doing either a small oil study or a quick pencil sketch with as many notes as I can write on the page. This keeps me fresh and helps me to nail down the quiet nuances of color the camera misses. I do use photos as a supplemental source to the studies but I try to compose my photos carefully as a first step to composing my paintings. My paintings are usually done “alla prima” which means in one sitting so the paint is always wet when I’m working. Finally I let the painting “sit” for while and come back at a later time to make adjustments or final touch-ups.


Awards and Shows:

Solo show of paintings, 2005: "Lavascapes & Subterranean Visions"
Volcano Art Center, Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

Image of painting "Explosion" chosen for permanent sign promoting volcanic inspired art
Displayed at Visitor Center in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, 2008

Accepted into juried Emerald Art Show, Springfield OR in 2008 and 2012

Accepted into St. Augustine Art Assoc. juried "Nature and Wildlife Art Exhibition", 2011 (2 paintings) and 2012
Received Honorable Mention for "Wild Iris", 2012

Workshop Artists and Instructors include:

Roberta St Louis
Ned Mueller
Matt Smith
T. Allen Lawson
Lorenzo Chavez
Skip Whitcomb
Kenn Backus
Katherine Landikusic
Terry Ludwig
Mitch Baird
Eric Jacobsen
Stuart Adams

Gallery representation:

Volcano Art Center, Volcanoes Nat. Park, Hawaii
volcanoartcenter.org

Woodshop Gallery, Honomu, Big Island of Hawaii
woodshopgallery.com
 

Member of Oil Painters of America

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