Life would never really be the same Appreciation and gratitude, the love and wonder of God and family, the beauty within people, their uniqueness of spirit, and the nature that surrounded us all, all were the core of emphasis upon which my siblings and I were raised. The expressions of these values and observations instilled within us by our parents would, through art, music and language, become the focal point around which my life would evolve.
"I was raised in a family where I was taught to appreciate, and be thankful for, the beauty and splendor of nature I observed as expressed through my Creator. As a small child, I became enamored with art when I awoke one morning to find some sketches my Dad had done the night before. I took the sketches to Dad and asked …"How did you do this?" With a few strokes of his pencil, Dad drew a quick human profile. As I watched Dad demonstrate "the art of sketching," and attempted to follow his lead, a seed of love and desire for artistic expression was sown within me.
Though for many years, I was satisfied with my "self taught" artistic skills, I really always wanted to "study art." I had exposed myself to art history, through reading, and observation of prints from galleries, but I had never had the first hand experience of standing in front of "the work of the Masters." I loved the stories of the lives and the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo and greatly admired their skills. Florence, Italy was from where, I believed, the crescendo of Western Art emanated.
After raising a family and completing a career that involved combining both art and science, I chose to follow the inclinations of the "renaissance man" within me. I wanted to go "first hand" to study the techniques and works of the Masters: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck. My wife, Janna, and I journeyed to Florence (Firenze), and Pietrasanta, Italy to study. There, I studied Classical drawing, painting and sculpture, as well as, Art History. Janna studied the Italian Language, cooking and wine tasting. I enrolled in two Art schools, Angel Art Academy, under the guidance of John Angel (a living "Master") and Cecil Art Studios (an atelier specializing in Portrait painting, guided by award winning artist Charles Cecil). Janna and I found our experiences and the Italian culture captivating and educational. Because of my "intrinsic" art training prior to "school," and I suppose because of Janna's love for language and red wine, we both were exhilarated and accelerated through school."
The results of the talent, study, and love of Italy and "the Hawaiian Islands" and Central Oregon, God and His people, can be seen in the Paintings, Drawings, Portraiture and Sculpture in this "online Portfolio."
I hope that you enjoy the artwork within this portfolio as much as I enjoyed creating it.