Drawing was my first love. I was especially inspired by the character drawings of Walt Disney and I copied them all the time. As I got older, that joy of line and form translated over to figure drawing and still life. I took summer classes to improve my technique and studied the work of master artists whenever I could. Artbooks and visiting museums always encouraged me to develop my skills.

Of course, college was a time for experimentation. However, my roots in formal drawing pulled me back to St. Louis and Washington University’s fine arts department. I have the best memories standing at a drawing bench staring at a skeleton or an old boot or a chair, with some challenging instructors coming around fixing our lines. 

Following Wash U, I attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. At Art Center it felt like forever to get to my painting courses. Under some amazing instructors, oil painting became my favorite medium. I was painting large and abstract, and also did ultra fine point drawings. I continued trying new approaches and also studying major artists, both historically revered and contemporary. I was particularly interested in the expressive strokes of Hockney’s sweeping landscapes. Classical artists Edouard Manet, John Singer Sargent and Kathe Kollwitz were also among my favorites. And I am still intrigued by Japanese printmaking!

The patriarchs in my family were the artists. I still remember the paintings my father drew when he was 13 years old. As he developed he mastered a watercolor style that is unique, loose and bold, like other Northern California plein air painters of the 50’s. They always impressed me. Of course, I will never forget traveling to the Louvre with him for the first time in 1985.

If life influences art, my family is a good example. I was born in St. Louis and grew up alongside six siblings. Both my parents inspired a sense of wonder and joy in all of their children in a marriage that lasted 62 years! They remain a true inspiration. 

In my professional life I have stayed on a parallel course. I co-founded Light Bringer Project, a nonprofit arts and cultural organization that helps underserved youth find their creative voice in a variety of arts disciplines. Today, I happily serve as its Managing Director.

For the most part, this site presents new work: watercolors, oil paintings and multiple panel boxes (telling a story), some IPad sketches and doodle drawings. I hope you enjoy them!