I have been painting since I was a child. My grandmother bought me my first set of paints when I was around eleven years of age. I majored in art in high school, and in my early twenties I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks in Paris. I went to the Jeu de Paume Museum as often as I could and noticed one day there were several artist easel’s stacked against a hallway wall. I asked a museum attendant about them who explained to me they were for students. Oh, how I wanted to be a student who could actually sit in front of a Van Gogh and try to copy him! I had to use photos. But the interesting thing is I learned that copying the masters was a t’ired and true’ way of learning to paint!  Van Gogh and Henri Rousseau were my early influencers.

The other major influence in my painting style comes from having worked for years in an award winning graphic design studio. I was not a graphic artist but I was surrounded by excellent design everyday. I also studied color at the University of California in Santa Cruz in my thirties.  I made straight A’s in all of my art classes. Many of friends have encouraged me to just keep on doing what I am doing as they recognized I was developing my own unique style. 

Two of those friends gave me another important artistic opportunity in that they invited me to live rent free on their property in Australia. They had a hand-made off-the-grid cottage that was the perfect living studio! So as I turned forty I left my working life in America behind to see what I could do with my paint and brushes unfettered by distractions. In the five years I lived in the lovely cottage I managed to complete a respectful body of very stylized work depicting the flora and fauna of the open forest area where I was living. I had two solo exhibits. The first one was in a proper gallery on the Atherton Tablelands. All of my work was professionally framed and I asked what I felt my paintings were worth. I did not sell one painting. A year or so later  I held another private exhibition in the historical School of Arts building. Seriously, there were people standing in line waiting to get in when I came to open the doors! I sold about eight paintings, which was enough to put down a good deposit on a house in town.  

Now that I am retired I can once again paint to my hearts content in my little bungalow here in Asheville, North Carolina. Though color and design have always been my strength, and my joy, I am becoming more and more intrigued by the shades of grey and the shadows of evening lights. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.