0907 Painting

So you want to know a little bit about me? Well, to put it simply, I'm just an average Joe trying to find my way in the world...and I love to create works of art through pencil and brush. Born and raised in Tucson Arizona, I left home at 18, anxious to see the world and start my artistic journey. I made my way to the beautiful Northwestand enrolled in the Seattle Academy of Fine Art. Becoming an artist, for me, was not a divine intervention...I felt that God was occupied with other pressing matters at the time. It was during an exhibit of John Singer Sargent, at the Seattle Museum of Art, that my life's passion of creating high-quality, meaningful art was ignited. I have since studied at Scottsdale Artists' School, Palette & Chisel Art Academy, and Watts Atelier. I have also taught at Scottsdale Artists' School, the Phoenix Art Museum and Studio 1307. And I've painted with some of the most notable painters of our time and have been inspired by such greats as Antonio Manchini, JC Lyendecker and Drew Struden. My art, like my life, is about persistence not perfection. I'm never happy with just one idea, but instead, I have a continual flow of ideas that allows me to create a wide variety of original work. I ask myself, why should I be pigeon- holed? Why should anyone? Titles that define individuals, in my opinion, are a waste of time and energy...they're a distraction. Knowing every day when I sit down at the canvas that the odds of me becoming famous are very rare, I persist for the love of the craft. And at the same time, like all artists before me and my contemporaries, I need to make a buck. Simply put, impassioned artists not only live to create, they must also create to live. Yes, I have been featured in magazines, won awards, and have many of my pieces scattered throughout various collections around the world. But these credentials, along with decisions made by judges, collectors and curators, do not define my worth. The only thing that matters is the individual who enjoys my work. So if an artist's credentials are important to you when purchasing a piece of art, then I am not the artist for you. For when it all is said and done I simply ask, "Do you like my work?" In my opinion, all the schooling, teaching, exhibits, awards, and collectors do not define an artist more than the eye of the beholder. If you enjoy it, I look forward to your purchase. If you don't like it, I wish you the best in your art collecting.