ABOUT

I was about six when my first grade teacher entered a self portrait of mine into a childrens' art contest in McCall's Magazine. It was selected to be published, but on the way home from school, I lost the acceptance letter, so never saw it in print. I think it hooked me and made me want to make more art. So, I attended Colorado State University and graduated with a BFA in graphic design.

Painting was not something I pursued until after art school, and then only through the back door. In a photography class, we were assigned a project using cyanotype printing, but I was unsatisfied with the results. I began adding paint to the images. Almost immediately I started working with paint alone and have continued to do so for over 30 years. My fascination with Japanese art and subjects has existed since childhood. These themes began working into my paintings after I found several old wedding photos of Japanese couples from the 1920s-1930s. The photos intrigued me for their beauty and theatricality. They had a deeper meaning behind the artifice, though; there wasn't just drama, there was theater in them. Now working solely in traditional oils, I attempt to make canvases that challenge the viewer to look beyond the surface, to the underlying emotions behind the mask.