|
|
"I
am not an adventurer by choice but by fate."
- Vincent van Gogh
My
goal as an artist is to
dig down deep into life experiences,
distill them into pure essence
and mirror them back containing
some form of universal truth.
I
am happiest when you find
a bit of your truth in my creations -
when something speaks to your soul.
It
matters to me to share my journey,
in hopes that it helps you
continue on the path to your truth and joy.
"The
conscious utterance of thought,
by speech or action, to any end, is art."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
One
of my earliest memories is sitting on the porch drawing
the trees across the street.
As
an adult artist, I migrated to
pen and ink and watercolor,
with displays in galleries and
works in private collections.
|
|
Don't
Fence Me In |
And
then, as many of us do at a certain point in life . . .
I
left art behind to become
what seemed like the accepted version of a grownup -
I married and went to work in a corporation;
an exceptionally tough corporate jungle environment.
But,
neither art or our inner spiritual journey will be denied.
They both keep coming at us until we relent
and open our eyes for a small peak inside.
"The
most beautiful thing we can experience is
the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and science."
- Albert Einstein
|
|
I
found myself going to remote places as often
as time allowed and carrying a camera
to bring back treasured nature photos.
During
those years,
nature called to me relentlessly and brought me peace.
I
started posting the nature photos on my cube walls
at work to remind me of the life outside
the concrete world where I lived and worked.
|
Queen
of the Prairie |
Riding
In From Hell
|
Friends
started asking for photos.
Eventually, I started selling photos at art fairs.
As my photos journeyed outward,
I began the journey back to myself.
Ah,
but there are always consequences when the tear
between our inner self and the life we lead becomes too great.
It shows up as different outer life events for each of us.
For me, the rip manifested as illness - serious illness.
Fortunately,
I heeded the message and changed my life.
"To
create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage."
- Georgia O'Keeffe
I
left the city jungle behind and moved to a smaller community and
operated my own business. I regained my health and sanity.
I started practicing Tai Chi and eventually began teaching
it.
|
I
simplified my life and risked being true to myself.
"To
be nobody-but-yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and
day,
to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."
- e.e. cummings
With
joy and life returning, I slowly became aware of the creative possibilities
in combining
what I knew about creating paintings with what I had learned about photography.
What
you see on this site is the result of blending those creative skills
and my life experiences.
Every
artist places their soul on display.
Joy
|
"At
times our own light goes out and is rekindled
by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause
to think with deep gratitude of those who have
lighted the flame within us."
- Albert Schweitzer
And
now, feeling more of myself, I have returned to my home town
- St. Louis, where you can often find me wandering around in
strange places with a camera in hand.
Like
most artists, I have a day job, but this time around it's a
more pleasant experience.
I
am eternally grateful to everyone who has
and who will participate in this life journey of mine.
I love and appreciate all of you.
|
|
