A California native and “Navy brat”, I spent my childhood moving from one Navy town to another, up and down the coast. From a very young age, every chance I had was spent drawing for hours, “Peanuts”, “Superman”, “Batman” and “Bambi” from whatever books or comics I could get my hands on. After having served in the Navy myself, I earned a degree in Fine Art, was self taught in Illustration and Design but with little success getting work shown in SoCal Galleries, I turned to Illustration and Graphic Design.
Nearly 30 years ago my wife and I packed up the dogs, the kids and the kitchen sink and moved to Placerville to be close to the Sierra Nevada that we love and still only a few hours from the coast. My career as Designer, Illustrator and eventually Art Director continued and in the mid 90’s I branched out as a freelance Artist/Illustrator but it wasn’t long and I was back to Graphic Design to pay the bills. Having had a taste for painting murals and rediscovering Pastels, I continued to work for commission where and when I could.
For the past 25 years I have been working in a style I call “Representational Realism”. Having a passion for Realism and Impressionism, I work mainly with Pastels and oils, as well as watercolor and mixed media, charcoal and pencils (colored and graphite). My favorite subjects are landscapes, wildlife, people and portraits and the odd still life now and then. Most of my work is done in my home Studio from on site studies, sketches and photos I take, while camping or fishing and exotic travels but the “Impressionist” in me wants to do more location (en plein air) painting.
AFFILIATIONS:
Placerville Arts Association
Pastel Society of the West Coast
Sierra Pastel Society, Signature Member
RECENT AWARDS
Just presented with Signature Status in the Sierra Pastel Society (see Events page for more info)
1st Place in Landscapes as well as an Honorable Mention
Along with a Best of Show