I remember from kindergarten and first grade the encouragement we all got when playing
with color, paints, scissors, etc. I took it to heart. I practiced for the rest of my life. Even when moving to a 40 acre farm in the San Joaquin Valley when I was 6 years old. The influence of raising farm animals in 4-H, driving tractor for endless hours discing/plowing, mowing hay, irrigating, and even picking cotton developed a life long outdoor industrial type mentality which is a part of my signature today.
As a young adult I studied Architecture at Cal Poly, spent my Navy time as an “illustrator draftsman” and polished my artistic energies with a BFA from Art Center utilizing the G.I. Bill.
As an apprentice working in a L.A. architectural firm, I came to realize I was not cut out to work indoors in an office all day. So I studied Fire Science, competed for a position in several departments and succeeded with Santa Barbara County for 23 years as a firefighter.
It may seem incongruous, but art can be a part of everyone’s life, anytime. Designing and building two homes, designing and constructing over 100 water features as a licensed landscape contractor after retiring from the fire service has given me the artistic outlet I need, building with my hands!
I now enjoy the full time devotion to creating art in the form of several pieces of public art for San Diego and San Luis Obispo, as well as painting impressionistic & abstract landscapes and exploring my personal signature style of art. Focus, focus, focus!