I grew up as an Oklahoma farm boy with no real interest in, or exposure to the arts. While this meant that I missed out on seeing some cool paintings and sculptures, I also never had to endure ballet or the opera. So for me there was a definite upside.
I completed an engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1980 and worked in the oil and gas industry for 26 years. During my career I also secured an MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver and Professional Engineering certification. Somewhere along the way my wife got me interested in art, we became "gallery groupies", and we started collecting various pieces of art over the years. My wife and I are drawn to abstract works, and paintings that we really liked tended to be too expensive and too few and far between. I actually started painting in 2005 just to see if I could produce decent looking abstract paintings that we could hang in our home. People were reacting favorably to my paintings, and eventually I concluded that for me creating is more rewarding than solving problems. Took the plunge and made a career change from engineer to artist in 2008.
Whatever painting skills I have are completely self-taught. I have never taken an art class in my life (you might be thinking that it shows as you view my work). I actually believe that not having formal art training can be a good thing for an abstract artist. I have no preconceived notion of what will work or not work, what is good or bad, based on someone else's opinion or bias. I can be totally spontaneous and react rather than analyze when I work. I believe that a good abstract artist has an inner talent and creativity that extends beyond formal training. So I paint abstracts because that is where my talent and interests lie.
After nearly 25 years living in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, my wife and dog, Dexter the almost Newfoundland, and I relocated to the Tampa, Florida area. A good compromise as we could not afford beachfront property on Maui. When not painting I enjoy turning a wrench, manly projects around the home, watching the wildlife that shows up at the house for a visit, pampering Koa the Great Pyr-Chow, and babying my Ford Mustang Bullitt.
I appreciate that you took the time to visit the site and I hope that you enjoy my work. Don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail if you have any questions about my art.