I have been a “creative” all of my life. Originally, I was a jazz musician. I specialized in improvisation and composing…culminating in a music degree from the University of North Texas. In my late twenties, I decided to become a psychotherapist returning to graduate school for an advanced degree. My abilities to improvise and experiment could now be used to help people resolve the problems that they faced. I continue to practice now and for the last 40 years.

In my early 30s, I accidentally discovered painting from my relationship with Dean and Linda St. Clair, close friends who were successful western painters. My wife of 40 years, Judy, a graphic designer and fine art painter has been central in supporting my exploration of the visual arts. Representational landscapes and still lifes emerged, then large abstract layered color works in my 40s and 50s.

I have always been attracted to sites of aging buildings and metal. Dilapidated warehouses have a beauty to me. I began to think about how nature and the elements interact with human creation. I began to create pieces that start with a metal canvas and used various chemicals and heat to cause images on the surface. I would often allow the work to lay in the rain and sun to allow the elements to do their part in the creation. My metal works have a life long process of slow decay that continues to alter it as it hangs. Decay and change as art.

In the last few years, I have been drawn to three dimensional creations. I started with clay, but quickly moved to stone. Shaping and carving stone has proved a challenge to my improvisational/ experimental process. The constant tension of planning and spontaneity has intense consequences when I can’t just paint over a mishap or errant move. This process requires real courage and trust in staying with the choices I make and adapting; allowing the unexpected to be incorporated in the final piece.

My current stone and wood pieces reflect my learning and experimenting with the various materials and tools. Each stone or wood piece has its own character and I must pay attention to how the stone reacts to each strike. Stone often breaks in unexpected ways. There are often hidden fissures or voids that emerge.

My designs reflect the lines, shapes, light and shadows often seen in nature. Simplicity and complexity in tandem.