Biography
After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in fine art, I moved to New York City in 1988. There I found the ideal environment to immerse myself into a life long passion for the visual arts. The art galleries of Soho, the museums, the grit of the streets, and the artists I met were catalysts that drove my interests deeper and served to open my eyes further.
Additionally to my interest in painting, I have a passion for design. So while in NYC, I enrolled in classes at the School of Visual Arts to study graphic design. This decision served me well - I went on to become a graphic designer and art director but spent the majority of my career as a creative director. This proved to be a demanding career choice but I always maintained a painting studio and have never stopped painting.
After NYC, my wife Kathy, and I moved to Portland Oregon and were soon blessed with two awesome kids. From 2003 - 2013, I was a member of the artist cooperative Talisman Gallery. There I met many other artists, worked jointly to run and market the gallery, and had many opportunities to show my work - a fantastic experience.
I am now at a point in life to be able to dedicate myself full time to painting. The days are quieter (no client meetings), there is always music playing, and there is wet paint on the palette.
Statement
For me, painting and paintings have a transcendent quality. I feel this with any genre - still life, figure, landscape, or pure abstraction. It is not necessary for the painting to contain a narrative or message. There are those paintings in our world whose message impacts the work, for example, Picasso's Guernica, but what remains most important to me is a feeling of heightened existence, the depth of meaning, and the expansiveness of awareness. Often what I look for in a work of art may defy the ability of it's meaning to be sufficiently captured in words. Upon seeing de Kooning's Excavation, I felt absolutely transported to a higher level of experience.
I started painting and looking at art as a child. My first inspiration were reproductions of old master works from art history books. From my earliest years, I would closely view paintings at any opportunity. It was the handling of the paint, the brush work, composition, and interplay of color that was interesting - this brought the experience I sought. Early on, I painted landscapes and still lifes. Upon starting my college years, I began experimenting with abstraction and looking at artists like Agnes Martin, Brice Marden, and Robert Ryan. Their work continues to influence me.
In my painting, it is through the formalities that themes of synchronicity, awareness, memory, and transcendence are explored. There are an evolving set of motifs that I have developed over the years that serve as a foundation for my work. What I am seeking in my work is the same that I find myself seeking in other artist's work. It is painting's capability to raise awareness beyond the everyday and to drive deeper meaning into our existence.