STATEMENT/BIO
Who, what, where and why I am.

me
A professional artist since 1977, I have received commissions from clients as diverse as Boy Scouts of America, the Dallas Opera, Dell Publishing, Electra Records, Frito Lay, GTE, Hyperion Press, Los Angeles Times, Minute Maid, New York Times, Ocean Spray, Samsung, Time Inc., The Washington Opera, and many others. My work has received recognition from the New York Society of Illustrators, Graphis, Communication Arts and Print Magazines.

I grew up (although there are those who would dispute the proper use of that term) in the North Texas area, and I received my art degree from East Texas State University (now part of the Texas A&M system).

After living and working in Los Angeles and Houston, I settled back in Dallas, where I live with my wife, Becky, and the ebb and flow of our collection of Feline-American adopted children, including Scout (A.K.A. El Gato Pequeno del Diablo) and Gem Sneakers, with fond memories of Ridley, Stevie Ray, Tink, and Whisper.

Inspired by a trip to Northern New Mexico in 1996, I started to pursue my interest in landscape painting and I've been on a dual illustration/painting track since then. I see illustration and fine art as two sometimes quarrelsome siblings of the same family, and so far I've been able to keep them in the same studio without too much chaos. For me, illustration serves to visually enhance and illuminate other forms of communication, such as literature, music, news and everything else.

I paint by layering colors, one over another, to achieve a representation of light defining form. Since I see light as an additive element, i.e. a form is totally in shadow and basically formless until light delineates its form, I begin with a dark underpainting and define the form by applying layers using lighter tonal values until I reach the desired chiaroscuro effect. The fast drying qualities of the acrylic medium best facilitates this color blending technique.

My paintings reflect an interest in the landscape and the mythologies that accompany it. They give me the opportunity to explore representational and abstract subjects, with occasional forays into figurative interpretations of my version of Americana and folklore.

Click here for an interior view of my painting studio.