He was about six when his first-grade teacher entered one of his self-portraits into a children’s art contest in McCall’s Magazine. It was selected for publication, but on the walk home from school he lost the acceptance letter and never saw the piece in print. Even so, the experience stayed with him, quietly hooking him and sparking a desire to make more art. He later attended Colorado State University, where he earned a BFA in graphic design.
Painting was not something he pursued during art school, and when it did enter his life, it arrived through a side door. In a photography class, he was assigned a project using cyanotype printing, but he found the results unsatisfying. He began adding paint to the images, and almost immediately abandoned photography altogether in favor of paint alone. He has continued working this way for more than 30 years.
His work invites viewers to look beyond the surface, encouraging them to explore the emotions beneath the mask, the symbolism embedded in each painting, and the psychological depth that runs through his practice.
