Pastel Society of New Mexico

Artist's Biography

I drew constantly while growing up, spending hours sprawled out on the living room floor drawing the characters displayed on cereal boxes, but had no formal art training until college.

After graduating from the University of Maryland, I was commissioned in the US Air Force, which provided me with the opportunity to virtually paint and draw my way around the world. I attended workshops and joined art groups whenever possible. In 1992, I retired from the military and began pursuing art training in earnest by studying with nationally known artists Scott Christensen, Dan Gerhartz, Matt Smith, Albert Handel, Sally Strand, Laura Robb, Gil Dellinger, Sheila Rieman and Ned Mueller.

I founded The Artist Studio, a not-for-profit cooperative of artists, whose mission is to further art education and opportunity for artists in New Mexico. I ran figure-drawing groups two days a week, taught drawing and portrait classes, and started entering shows.

My paintings have been accepted in numerous national juried art exhibits and have garnered awards from the Pastel Society of New Mexico, the NM State Fair Professional Arts Exhibit (Best in Show), Hispanic Arts Society, Masterworks, and the Visual Arts Council of the Corrales Historical Society. I am a signature member of the Pastel Society of New Mexico, and a member of the Madonna Daniel Memorial Fund board (the fund provides grants to aspiring artists in NM).

In painting landscapes, I am drawn not only to the light and atmosphere before me, but also to the subtle, often overlooked beauty nature displays. My wife Marilyn and I live in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, where I can often be seen with brush in hand capturing on canvas the breathtaking beauty of the New Mexico landscape.

I paint people to reveal something I sense in my subject — a mood, feeling, strength, a vulnerability, grace, or beauty. In landscapes, I am drawn not only to the light and atmosphere before me, but also to the subtle, often overlooked beauty nature displays.

My paintings can be seen at Yucca Gallery in Albuquerque.

Enjoy the visual journey…