About the Artist

I have been surrounded by artists virtually all my life.  I received my first drawing instruction at the age of six from my father.  We were living in New Mexico at the time and he was an avid amateur landscape painter there.  Although I dabbled in painting off and on for years, my first career took a different path.  Following a BA from the University of Colorado and a PhD from The Ohio State University I entered a career in neuroscience research.  However, in 2004, I committed to painting full time and was almost immediately rewarded with the joy of recreating scenes I loved.   I am indebted to numerous mentors along the way including Mark Tompkins, Skip Whitcomb, William Scott Jennings, Jim Wilcox, Gregory Kondos, Calvin Liang and Matt Smith for their generous comments and assistance.

My subject matter ranges from the desert Southwest to the California coast to the peaks of the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada.  Having lived for a number of years at Lake Tahoe I have a special affection for that area as well as the ocean and desert that are accessible at my new home in Southern California.

My work consists of both plein air and studio paintings.  However, it all begins with field trips, lots of photographs and usually some plein air sketches to help define the composition and color relationships.  The plein air paintings usually include the freedom to move rocks and shadows and even mountains to capture my sense of how it should look.  The final studio painting comes from an amalgam of these sources along with whatever else seems needed to best describe the setting and help express its particular beauty.

I am a member in several professional organizations including:  California Art Club,  American Society of Marine Artists and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

Recent Awards and Publications:

2019:  Juror's Purchase Award, "Pacific Bluffs" at Art for Heaven's Sake Annual Art Festival, Redlands, CA

2016:  First Place,"Land Put to A Higher Use", The 9th Annual Ralph Love Plein Air Competition in Temecula, CA

2014:  "Canyon Clouds" and "Carmel Wetlands" were juried in to the Museum of the Art Institute Regional Show in San Diego

2012:  "View from Mather Point" was selected for installation in the US Embassy in Sri Lanka.

2011:  "On the Rocks" selected as a finalist in the Artist's Magazine annual national competition.

2010 - "Your Composition Should Evoke an Emotion" feature article in International Artist, pp 52-59, vol 70, 2010 

2010 - "Morning Becomes the Valley" and "Lamoille Canyon" selected for installation in the US Embassy in Yemen

2010 - Grant from Nevada Arts Council
2008 - Grant from Nevada Arts Council
2007 - Paint America National Competition Top 50 Miniatures
2007 - First Place, Oil Painting, Carson Valley Art Association Annual Exhibit


(Incidently, the background in the photo above is the subject of the painting "Late Sun on a Quiet Stream").