About the Artist

Born in 1946 in Provo, Utah; raised in rural central Utah; educated in New Jersey and now residing with wife, Nancy, in Highland, Utah.

My Story: I am an emerging professional artist with a business background. After earning a BS from Rutgers University, I worked in banking in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Following a "quality of life" move back to Utah in 1983, held a VP position with a national firm headquartered in Salt Lake City. Although, well established in a successful business career, I have always been an artist in my heart. I began my college experience in commercial art; then changed to the more "sellable" accounting degree, which had the affect of influencing my direction for the next 25 years. In the mid 1990's, I went through a self-evaluation process, realizing that true meaning in my life could only come through a dedicated commitment to my art. I suppose I had no real choice even though it would mean starting over in a frighteningly new industry. So I took the plunge; in 1998 I traded security for serenity and , thus, dedicated myself full-time to the development of my art. Since then, I have focused on developing my technique -- starting by painting a large number of small studio and plein air paintings, focusing on "good starts" and "obtaining the effect." I am now concentrating on projecting feeling and meaning in my painting through the proper and creative use of design, composition, technique, color and poetic interpretation, while working to bring out my own individuality lost somewhat through extensive study of other artists' work and instruction. I have purposely tried to separate development and marketing to this point using the premise that my career will develop proportionate to the quality of my art. I feel it is the responsibility of each artist to become techniquely proficient so as to properly present their message clearly and effectively.

I paint in oils (with some plein air sketches in watercolor), concentrating on representational landscapes. My style is basicall;y realistic when viewed from a proper distance, projecting feeling through the effective use of light and value. I am particularly interested in effective brushwork -- "laying in" the correct shape, color and value without "working" the painting. Using an intuitively analytical approach to each painting, I strive to create an environment for spontaneous occurrences; this adds excitement and poetic realism to my work.

I am inspired by the life and works of Thomas Moran and other 19th century landscape painters. I have also been inspired by such current artists as Paul Strisik, William Scott Jennings, Clyde Aspevig, Jim Wilcox and other representational landscape painters whose work I admire and study. Landscape painting is the way I experience God's gift of nature beyond the normal stare or photograph. It is a way of internalizing and savoring the wonder of nature. This is my inspiration; this is the reason I have made life changes which can only be experienced from an artist's perspective.

Education: My formal education at Rutgers University was mostly business oriented. Much of my elective work, however, included the study of art history and related topics (as I mentioned before, I started my degree program in art). From the perspective of painting principles and application, I am essentially self-taught. I have obtained a thorough understanding of the underlying principles of art through extensive reading over a 25-year period and intense application and study since 1998. Although I had painted casually over that 25 years, art has always been a part of me, keeping my spirit alive to learn and observe through a painter's eyes. In the late 1960's, I completed coursework in the Famous Artists Course in Commerical Art, Illustration and Design, Famous Artists School, Westport, Connecticut while in the Air Force and prior to attending Rutgers. I have completed workshops by Jim Wilcox in Jackson (Masters class), William Scott Jennings in Sedona, Arizona and M. Stephen Doherty in Pasedena.