I grew up in rural Oklahoma working early on my Grandfather's farm. Good old fashioned gritty, hard work. Later, I worked with my Dad in his custom auto shop where I eventually learned to pinstripe and letter cars. There was more gritty, hard work involved there as well! I went on to develop a graphic arts career which spanned over 30 years with appearances in major industry publications and awards, all the while experimenting with various art projects. On a whim of exploration, I purchased some palette knives, paints, and canvases and went after some abstract ideas. Immediately, I became amazed at how great it felt to express my own original thoughts to substrate. You could say I was liberated at that moment. My textural work reflects the "grittiness" of working in nature and the structural elements come into play from my design background. As for color? Well, I just paint what I feel inside.

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Abstract possibilities are endless and after each mark is made on the substrate, I have to make a decision of what comes next. In realism, you know where the painting will (or should) end up. This is the part of my work that is the most thrilling to me. "What happens next?" I find it amazing how a painting seems to push me along in the process.