I made the move from the Chicago area to Indiana in the early 2000s. I studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and Northern Illinois University. I enjoyed a fulfilling career as a college professor at the Art Institute of Indianapolis, where I had the pleasure of teaching traditional arts, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I have been painting and showing for many years.

Realtors aren't the only people who post dated photos of themselves!
	Photo courtesy of Robert Wilcox

Background

I've wanted to be an artist since I was 5 when I created my first "figurative" work: a portrait of my parents! Thanks to my mother's foresight, I was fortunate to start oil painting classes at a local art league when I was ten. The courses helped raise my art skills and build my confidence.

I've had some wonderful mentors throughout my journey. One of my earliest mentors was Pat, a Chicago artist and a friend of my mom. Pat often carried a set of watercolors, paper, brushes, and a small container with water in her purse. If she saw I was bored, she would pull the art supplies out and encourage me to create!

I had several outstanding college professors, some of whom have exhibited their work in art museums across the U.S. One professor in particular, Dr. Walter Ball, taught me about using color, which has enormously influenced my subsequent work! Much of what Ball taught me has made me the artist I am today.

The Studio Assistants hard at work!

My creative process & art styles

I don't use pencil or paper to create my concept work; I do everything digitally. With Photoshop and original digital photos, I combine, manipulate, merge, add, and eliminate areas until the final image emerges. Once satisfied, I use the completed digital image as a visual reference for a painting. In some cases, it remains as digital art.

My subject matter is mainly urban. I have explored urban buildings with display windows, merging the window content with the city's reflections. Sometimes, it is the inclusion of graffiti merged onto the building -- I've become a bit of a connoisseur of graffiti in central Indiana!

Lately, I have created a few paintings and digital art pieces that depict interiors rather than exteriors. But I manage to (digitally) add graffiti or street art to the interiors; nothing is safe from me!

The overall connecting theme of my work is bold, bright colors and flattened forms. I prefer a nod to a comic book style. You can see some of this style in the Chicago Imagist, some of whom I studied with during college.

My favorite career (in addition to creating art!)

Teaching in the field of art and design was an incredible career. It was exciting to enter a classroom and stumble upon an ongoing debate about the arts! It was fantastic to discuss art concepts, see students absorb the information, and then see how they make the concepts their own.

I learned a lot from my students. I noticed my work growing in leaps and bounds when I began teaching. I attribute this partly to my students' questions and comments during critique. So many of them were eager to learn. Students often had different artistic perspectives from mine, which helped push my horizons and knowledge as an artist. I firmly believe that if you retain an open mind in the arts, you will never stop learning!

I've been fortunate to see these students blossom in their art, design, and lives through social media.

Me, in Seattle, explaining just how large that dinosaur had to be!

What do I want from myself as an artist?

I want to continue to grow in my art and creativity and find more ways for people to see my art.

My biggest obstacle in making art

Time!!! I have the ideas; it's always about time! On average, it takes about two months to complete a large painting due to several causes. Some colors need up to five layers of paint to apply flat. I use a magnifying glass with a built-in light when applying the second layer of paint to ensure smooth paint application. That process is time-consuming in areas with a lot of small, fine detail.

What I'd like for my collectors

I hope collectors will see my passion and experience. If you invest in my art, I hope you will love what you see and know the value of your purchase.

 

Press Kit & CV

Click on this link to download a copy of my Press Kit with CV.