I am a native of Colorado and only live 10 miles from where I was born. I have been painting for most of my life. I originally started with watercolor and acrylic. In high school I began to learn calligraphy and illumination from a friends mother. My formal education is in Mechanical drafting.
In 1990 I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval recreation group. During the 10 years I was active in the Society, I was a scribe and completed over 100 award scrolls. The education I received in medieval art and painting techniques in the SCA completely changed my painting forever. I was introduced to gouache which I use exclusively now. While I don't paint everything in a medieval style anymore I do have a fondness for borders, dragons, grotesqueries and gold leaf.
In August 2001 I vacationed in Berlin and that trip so inspired me artistically I could not wait to get back home and paint.Most of my current work is inspire by the things I saw and did on that trip.Everywhere I looked in Berlin there were street artists and art.
I paint because it is the thing that gives me the most joy. It is something I have to do. My mind is constantly searching for the next subject or the next theme. I always have a dozen or so paintings going at the same time.
(I often use bats in my paintings. I have an intense interest in bats and their place in the earth's ecology. I would like to raise awareness of their benefit to their current plight and us. Bats are much maligned and misunderstood animals and quite simply we need them!!)
Currently I am exploring more of a Goth theme, skulls, vampires, bats and werewolves. The illuminated pages of the middle Ages with their foliated borders and animal images inspire much of my earlier work.
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