About Me

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 I have been painting over 20 years. I am a prolific graphic artist illustrator. I paint watercolor landscapes and oil paintings of various subjects. I paint what most intrigues me such as fantasy art, prehistoric art, maritime art, and landscapes of the northwest and Oregon coast. My other favorite subjects are military history, science fiction, and steam-punk art. I also build custom canvases, frame my own art, and build detailed custom Hollywood movie miniature models and various subjects related to my artwork.

My love for art began back in grade school. I had a big imagination and loved to draw sailing ships and other fantasy themes such as Jules Verne illustrations. I also built model kits of aircraft and ships as far back as the 8th grade. The love of old classic movies, especially Steven Spielberg & George Lucas films, gave me the drive and desire to continue in that style of art indefinitely. Afterall, I saw Jurassic Park eleven times while it was still in theaters. I love dinosaurs and I was determined to learn how to draw the anatomy of such animals.

While I was attending Clark College, I volunteered at OMSI. During that time in the late 90’s, I learned a lot about paleo art to understand how to paint those animals. I drew all the fossil skeletons in the museum and reviewed 3D clay mockups of the dinosaur’s bodies to understand how to make better depictions of the animal’s anatomy.

In addition to exploring the art, I loved working with the kids. I took field trips to Utah and Central Oregon with groups from OMSI. We talked about paleo history and we hosted digs searching for fossils. I have traveled to many places throughout my life. I’ve been to 32 states including Hawaii and Mexico. I lived in Arizona for two years where I painted southwest landscapes. I moved back to the Portland metro area in 2009 where I studied more maritime and landscape art until 2013. I moved to Whidbey Island in 2013 to be close to the art colony in the La Conner or Oak Harbor area. There I fell in love with maritime art which I have now been doing for the past 5 years.

Over the years, my travels have led me to work as part of a crew on a sailing ship in the Victoria B.C. port area. During high school and up until 1998 I took part in civil war re-enactments. I also was able to teach American civil war history in high school due to my involvement in re-enacting and my passion for the subject.

I spend many hours at Powell's bookstore doing research on maritime art and other historical military subjects. I sometimes model dioramas depicting certain historical scenes to achieve accuracy and realism. For instance, I went to Pearl Harbor Hawaii to document the shipyards and museum for a project to create a realistic diorama.

A lot of friends and family call me the “Renaissance man” or at least someone born in the wrong time. I love hiking the northwest for more painting ideas & using my camera as one of my tools of the job to give me ideas. I also do plein-air painting of outdoor landscapes that inspire me.

To me, art is a journey that never stops. I am always sketching out new ideas for painting and various projects. Art is a gift that fulfills my life and brings me joy.