Artist Statement
I only do what the wind tells me.
I am a landscape painter working in oil. I work both en plein air and in the studio from observational sketches, color studies, and photos. Though I love working from life, my best work comes from the intimacy of the studio. For years, I searched for the line between abstraction and objectivity, hoping to retain the sense of space and illusion of form. It wasn’t until I returned some years old practices that I realized the key lay in abandoning the higher self and letting instinct drive the process.
I attempt to incorporate thick/thin textural dynamics and directional brushwork to drive composition beyond typical placement of value/color passages.
Bio
I was raised on a cattle farm in the Ozark mountains, many miles from any reasonably sized town. You might say it felt a lot like Tatooine to Luke Skywalker: if there was a bright center to the universe, I was in the place it was furthest from. But the universe seems to have a way of providing exactly what a person needs, whether they realize it or not. I devoured books (sci fi and fantasy mostly), drew (dinosaurs often), roamed the woods and fields, and got lost in an old set of black and white World Book Encyclopedias whose only color plates were found under the headings Art and Painting. Even places far from the bright center are filled with light if one only one look and I found light in those color plates. At the time, I particularly loved the Pre-Raphaelites.
As a teen, I studied painting in a tiny atelier in that nearest sizable town. Aside from an odd workshop here and there, this is still my only formal art education. College led me down a different path: engineering. After receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, I moved my young family to the suburbs of Washington D.C.to pursue a career with NASA. I have designed, built, and operated systems in orbit around Earth and on the surface of Mars.
In 2004, I rekindled my love for painting and in 2007 returned to my native Arkansas. Surrounded by the familiar and much-loved landscapes of my youth, my painting exploded in both quantity and quality. After a personal tragedy in 2014, I decided for a new start and let the wind carry me west to Colorado. You can now find me on a small farm near Beulah, Colorado that is strangely reminiscent of the farm of my youth. I spend my days still designing things for spaceflight but my nights and weekends are full of painting and writing. You may find my work at Cantrell Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas
Shows and Exhibitions
2023
· New Horizons Landscape Show
3 Square Art, Fort Collins, CO
2022
· Abstract or Whatever Show
December, Mineral Palace Gallery, Pueblo, CO(Best in Show – Pro, 1st Place Pro Painting)
· Colorado Show
July, Mineral Palace Gallery, Pueblo, CO (Best in Show)
· Winter Show
February, Mineral Palace Gallery, Pueblo, CO (First Place and Juror’s Choice)
2021
· Done Got Lost, Solo Show
July-August, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock, AR
2020
· Mountains, Peaks and Waterfalls
September, R Gallery, Boulder, CO
2019
· Bibelot Show
December, Kanon Collective, Denver, CO
· Winter’s Beauty
December, R Gallery, Boulder, CO
· The 144 Colorado Showcase
November and December, PACE Center, Parker, CO
2017
· SAAC Juried Art Competition
July, South Arkansas Arts Center, El Dorado, AR
· Art at the Center Juried Show
May-June, Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, Overland Park, Kansas
· During Wind and Rain
Poster art for musical performance
2016
· Richeson Small Works, Meritorious Entries (2)
2015
· Arkansas League of Artists Annual Juried Show
September-October, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock, AR
· The Quiet Hours, Solo Show
May-June, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock
· ArkansasLeague or Artists Members Show
May, Argenta Art Gallery, North Little Rock
· Plein Air Painters Show
April-June, Christ Episcopal Church, Little Rock
2014
· Painting Arkansas-Finale, Solo Show
May-June, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock
· White River Plein Air
May, Cotter, AR (First Timers Award)
2013
· Diamond National Show
December-January, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center, Hot Springs, AR
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Winners Show
December, Patrick Hays Center, North Little Rock, AR
· Bike Art Show
December-February, The Dairy Centerfor the Arts, Boulder, CO
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Annual Juried Show (3rd Place, Animals/Wildlife)
September-October, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock, AR
· 65th River ValleyInvitational
July, Fort Smith Regional Art Museum
Jurors: Tammy Harrington, Ann Prentice Wagner, Manuela Well-Off-Man
· Painting Arkansas, Solo Show
July-August, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock, AR
· ArkansasLeague Of Artists Signature Members Show
July-August, Cox Creative Center, Little Rock, AR
· Hot Springs Fine Arts Center Spring Regional (Honorable Mention)
March, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center, Hot Springs, AR
2012
· Realism Without Borders, Group Show
December, LEE Gallery, Boise, ID
· Painting Arkansas, Solo Show
October, Van Buren Center for Art and Education
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Juried Exhibition
October, Butler Center, Little Rock, AR (First Place, Landscape)
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Spring Members Show
May, Terry House, Little Rock, AR (Third Place, Landscape)
- Hot Springs Fine Arts Center Regional
March, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center
2011
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Winners Show
December, THEA Foundation, North Little Rock, AR
· Diamond National Exhibition (Ralph Michaelis Memorial Award)
September, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Annual Juried Show
September and October, Cantrell Gallery, Little Rock
· Harrison Art League Spring Show (3rd Place Oil)
May, Oak Leaf Gallery
· ArkansasLeague of Artists Members Show
May, Terry House, Little Rock, Arkansas
· Regional Show (Merit Award)
April, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center
2010:
· Village at Hendrix Designer House
September-October
· Diamond National Exhibition
August, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center
· Harrison Art League Spring Show (Honorable Mention)
May, Oak Leaf Gallery
2009
· “Starry Night”
October, Hot Springs Fine Arts Center
· “Celebration of the Tulip”
April, ClayTime Studios, North Little Rock
· “Featured Artist”
April & May, Arkansas State Treasurer’s Office