bio

MFA, 1981, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
BA, 1977, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

1981-2022 Studio Artist
1999-2022 Adjunct Professor, Doane University
1984-1999 Adjunct Professor, Nebraska Wesleyan University

I grew up in a mid-size town in Southern Illinois called Belleville, 20 minutes east of St. Louis, Missouri. I did not like high school, but thrived when I got to college. I went to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and graduated in 1977 with a BA in Art and Secondary Teaching Certification. I began SIUE as a chemistry major, with a minor in mathematics. For a general studies requirement I signed up for an art history class. The instructor (Steven Brown), a grad student, decided to devote the entire class to Abstract Expressionism. I had no idea. I couldn’t wait to go to class. I liked every single artist we looked at. In one class we looked at Jackson Pollock while he played an entire song by Charlie Parker. I was hooked! I started to experiment with paint, and before I knew it, had changed my major from Chemistry to Art. At SIUE, I concentrated on painting, and enhanced my education by spending a lot of time at the St.Louis Art Museum. I got to see what great paintings look like in person. I met my first mentor Mike Smith at SIUE. He encouraged me to go to grad school at Nebraska and called my next mentor Gail H. Butt to recommend me to the program. I got in and received my MFA from UNL in 1981.
I love the physicality of working with oil paints. Takes a little bit of chemistry; solvents, varnishes, viscosity, etc. Color is my means of self-expression, like sound to a musician. Planning and Improvisation are my technique. I start with an idea, I take the first step, respond, and respond to that; until I arrive at a stopping point. A balanced composition that has something to say or expresses some emotion which can only be achieved through paint and color.
In addition to painting, I also am a founding member of the Mighty Vitamins, a musical collective dedicated to homemade instruments and improvisation.