About me
The only thing I have ever taken a straight line towards is teaching. It seems my preferred entrance is always through the back door, whether it is into book writing and illustration or fine art.
While I wish I had gone to art school, wish I had studied in Europe, wish I had taken figure drawing more often and studied art history more, the truth is that I am impatient and tend to live in my head. My art is an effort to duplicate what I see in my head, or on the horizon, or on a limb chirping...to capture that place where red-wing blackbirds sing while I paint, the reflections in the water, and the glow of a coffee cup or an apple, or a story playing itself like a movie in my mind.
I have come from a backround of book writing and illustration into a world of fine art. While still loving the creation of books and the writing of stories, I need the freedom to express my images without the limitations of pages, layout of words and limitation of subject matter.
I am a plein air and studio painter of landscapes, as well as a folk artist. Both have strong roots in a life spent outdoors, on farms and ranches and trails, and often in remote areas. My art helps me share that sense of wonder and inner quiet I feel when out in nature. It is that quiet that allows me to hear the stories of the land I am painting, that allows me to share the folkloric images in my mind. The patterns and colors of land, water and air weave their way into my own story of where I am standing, whether it is in front of a marsh full of black birds, or in front of my own imaginary story.
Many artists influence my work, and they all were on a constant search to capture the inner story of what was around them...from the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh, to Alaska's beloved folk artist Rie Munoz, to the contemporary artists I paint with on a regular basis.
While I wish I had gone to art school, wish I had studied in Europe, wish I had taken figure drawing more often and studied art history more, the truth is that I am impatient and tend to live in my head. My art is an effort to duplicate what I see in my head, or on the horizon, or on a limb chirping...to capture that place where red-wing blackbirds sing while I paint, the reflections in the water, and the glow of a coffee cup or an apple, or a story playing itself like a movie in my mind.
I have come from a backround of book writing and illustration into a world of fine art. While still loving the creation of books and the writing of stories, I need the freedom to express my images without the limitations of pages, layout of words and limitation of subject matter.
I am a plein air and studio painter of landscapes, as well as a folk artist. Both have strong roots in a life spent outdoors, on farms and ranches and trails, and often in remote areas. My art helps me share that sense of wonder and inner quiet I feel when out in nature. It is that quiet that allows me to hear the stories of the land I am painting, that allows me to share the folkloric images in my mind. The patterns and colors of land, water and air weave their way into my own story of where I am standing, whether it is in front of a marsh full of black birds, or in front of my own imaginary story.
Many artists influence my work, and they all were on a constant search to capture the inner story of what was around them...from the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh, to Alaska's beloved folk artist Rie Munoz, to the contemporary artists I paint with on a regular basis.
Shows
Rohnert Park Invitational (People's Choice) 2011
Sun Gallery Invitational Picture Book Arts Shows
Museum of Children's Art, Oakland Invitational Book Shows
Thatcher Gallery, USF, "From 'The World of Oz' to 'Grandfather's Journey'" 20th Century Illustration for Children's Literature
Art For Alaskan Parks, Juried Exhibition, Anchorage, 2012
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 2010 -2013
Art at the Source, 2010, 2012, 2013
Quercia Gallery, Duncans Mills, August 2013
PSWC Invitational Members Show 2016
GALLERIES
SEBASTOPOL GALLERY www.sebastopol-gallery.com, 150 N.Main St. Featured Artist Sept. 29-Nov 18 2013
STEPHAN'S FINE ARTS, Captain Cook Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
PICTURE ALASKA, Homer Alaska.
FULTONXCROSSING, Santa Rosa, CA.
Sun Gallery Invitational Picture Book Arts Shows
Museum of Children's Art, Oakland Invitational Book Shows
Thatcher Gallery, USF, "From 'The World of Oz' to 'Grandfather's Journey'" 20th Century Illustration for Children's Literature
Art For Alaskan Parks, Juried Exhibition, Anchorage, 2012
Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 2010 -2013
Art at the Source, 2010, 2012, 2013
Quercia Gallery, Duncans Mills, August 2013
PSWC Invitational Members Show 2016
GALLERIES
SEBASTOPOL GALLERY www.sebastopol-gallery.com, 150 N.Main St. Featured Artist Sept. 29-Nov 18 2013
STEPHAN'S FINE ARTS, Captain Cook Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
PICTURE ALASKA, Homer Alaska.
FULTONXCROSSING, Santa Rosa, CA.