Background

I began creating in earnest in the 5th grade when I discovered that I could copy all of my favorite cartoon characters which I thought was pretty cool. This was just about the time that most of my friends were giving up on drawing because they thought their work was no good. The artist bug stayed with me though and I was into oils by the time I was thirteen.

I didn't have time for art classes in high school, too much time in college prep classes to fit it in. When it came time for college though, a career in art education seemed like a viable option and so I embarked on a 12 year stint as a public school art teacher.

A change of careers took me into business in positions in advertising, marketing, textbook publishing and eventually new media and internet development. While they were all related to my artistic bent, those activities did not leave much time for other artistic pursuits.

A position with a local university opened up opportunities to pursue my individual artistic direction. And today I find myself in the fortunate position of being able to devote all of my time to that pursuit.

Artist Statement

Many of my watercolors result from my attraction to old or out of the way places and subjects. I'm attracted to these subjects not from a sense of nostalgia but because of the effect that the process of existing imparts to them. The results of their use, abuse, neglect or abandonment makes for very interesting subject matter.

My Figurative watercolors result from capturing people in a candid moment when they are the most natural and least self-aware.

My drawings are essentially exercises in creating "interesting marks." They are me playing with the medium. The drawings are, for the most part, process driven. They begin with little more than a general concept and proceed to the finished state based almost exclusively on what happens along the way. In several cases they have resulted in a series of drawings that periodically get new additions as new variations on the original theme present themselves.

Process

Whether the medium is watercolor or monochrome, the process of creating the work involves applying many layers to create an image. In watercolor, it's a combination of washes, glazes and dry brush. In monochrome works, graphite, carbon and charcoal, the process of layering involves applying, smearing, erasing, and re-applying until a satisfactory combination of contrast, value and texture are achieved.

Memberships

Signature memberships:

Missouri Watercolor Society

Western Federation Of Watercolor Societies

Illinois Watercolor Society

Iowa Watercolor Society

Other Memberships

National Watercolor Society

Transparent Watercolor Society

Galleries

Iowa Artisans Gallery, Iowa City, IA

Exhibitions

2005 Iowa Watercolor Society

2006 Iowa Watercolor Society

2007 Dubuque Museum Juried Invitational-Biennial

2007 Iowa Watercolor Society

2007 NWS All Member Show

2007 Skogerboe Juried Exhibition- Okoboji, IA

2008 Iowa Watercolor Society

2008 NWS All Member Show

2009 Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

2009 Iowa Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

2010 Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

2010 Illinois Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition-Small Waters

2010 Iowa Watercolor Society

2011 Group Exhibit - “By the Side of the Road”

2011 Group Exhibit - “Explorations in Imagination, Interpretation and Magnification”

2012 Iowa Watercolor Society

Illinois Watercolor Society Small Waters

2013 Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

2014 Solo show at Bisignano Gallery, University of Dubuque

2015 Illinois Watercolor Society 31st National Juried Exhibition

Solo exhibition at Maquoketa Art Experience

ARC Gallery, Base Line Drawing Exhibition

Iowa Watercolor Society

2016 Iowa Watercolor Society

Illinois Watercolor Society

Galena Center for the Arts, Two Person Exhibit

ARC Gallery, It Figures, figure drawing exhibition

2017 Missouri Watercolor Society Juried International

Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

Solo Exhibit - East End Art on Main, Mt. Vernon IA

The Next Picture Show- Water Works

2018 Missouri Watercolor Society Juried International

Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

Iowa Watercolor Society

2019 Missouri Watercolor Society Juried International

Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

Iowa Watercolor Society

Arizona Watercolor Association

2020 Missouri Watercolor Society Juried International

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Juried Exhibition

Rock Island Art Guild Fine Arts Exhibition

Pennsylvania Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition

Iowa Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition

2021

Western Federation of Watercolor Societies

Pikes Peak Watercolor Society

Octagon Center for the Arts

Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

Rocky Mountain National Watermedia

Iowa Watercolor Society

2022 Fallbrook Art Center Signature Artist Juried Exhibition

Illinois Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition

2023

Publications

Strokes of Genius 2, The Best of Drawing 2009

Strokes of Genius 4, The Best of Drawing 2012

Strokes of Genius 5, The Best of Drawing 2013

Strokes of Genius 6, The Best of Drawing 2014

Strokes of Genius 8, The Best of Drawing 2016

Strokes of Genius 9, The Best of Drawing 2017

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