About
Design in all its forms is at the core of who I am. I’ve been an interior designer, urban designer, real estate developer, historic preservationist, and artist all my life. My interest in historic preservation and art was most likely an outgrowth of growing up in and around Cranbrook Schools (a National Historic Landmark) from an early age in Michigan. There I was surrounded by the most influential designers of the 1930s, including Eliel Saarinen, Albert Kahn, and Carl Milles. No doubt this led to my appreciation of urban design and to my subsequent leadership role in creating the LODO historic district in Denver much later in life. The belief shared by Cranbrook’s founder and principle architect was that art should permeate every aspect of life.
I work with stone, paint, paper, and clay — most often in an abstract style. Every piece is individual and original. While working on paper, the artwork sometimes displays an Asian influence with a fluid and light touch. The oil paintings are often more dramatic, and bold but with an ethereal quality. The source of the designs remains a mystery to me. I often start with a color concept and make a mark. Each additional mark responds to the first and so on. As I explore color and line, I dive into a world without words. I exchange thinking for feeling as the canvas becomes a silent song.
With my paintings I usually start with a background of quinacidrone violet. It’s a supremely intense pink that can be seen poking through on some paintings. If the background color is painted over when the pink is still wet — the entire painting carries its soft hue. This is why I paint in slow drying oil.
My works on paper are on high quality watercolor paper using water-based oils and India ink. These works vary from small 5×7 inch framed paintings to larger professionally-framed works. The colors are soft, punctuated by strong black India ink.
I learned to sculpt stone from the famous Chapungo sculptors from Zimbabwe, using only hand tools. Working this way is very slow and meditative, allowing me to feel the stone and work spontaneously to create “what the stone dictates”. A few of my later pieces are made using inline tools to create more precise cuts on larger pieces.
I studied with Dale Chisman, one of the foremost abstract painters in the United States, who was known for his quirkiness and original use of color. Unfortunately, Dale died in 2008 but his influence is ever present. I also studied with well known abstract painter Homare Ikeda, who was influential in encouraging multi-layered and unique paintings.
My art has more variety in medium and style than most artists and as far as I know, it will always be that way. It's how I'm made.