Born: February 5, 1945 in Northeast Texas. I spent most of my life in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have since retired in Biloxi, MS, with my wife, Belinda, who is from Ocean Springs, MS. I believe I have been blessed with a God given talent because everything artistic has been easy for me my entire life. My earliest memory of drawing was when I drew pictures of flowers, birds and bugs on wooden clothespins before I started elementary school.
I studied art all through public schools and at Dallas County Junior College-El Centro in Dallas, TX, where I studied drawing and design. Between 1968-1970, I was an Advertising Art major at North Texas State University in Denton, TX. I have studied various mediums but didn't start oil painting until mid-January 1969, the same week I started flying lessons. My first oil painting lessons were private with Addie White of Irving, TX. Through seminars, I was fortunate to study with the well known and much sought after artist, A. D. Greer. He became my mentor and my strongest influence for several years before his death in 1998. I also enjoyed the tutelage of professional artists such as Jack Bryant, Jim Goudie, Don Cincone, Gary Lynn Roberts and others.
I have been an oil painter and observer of nature for 38+ years. Being a spiritual person, I am constantly aware of color, light, shade and shadow in all of God's creations. I like to paint what I see and have seen in a realistic manner. Being new to Biloxi, I am now inspired by the beauty of the coastal landscape and its aura. In my landscapes and still lifes, I strive for a feeling of peace and harmony. I want viewers to come away from my paintings feeling good, without having to study and think about them too much.
During my career, my paintings have hung in the American Fine Arts Gallery in Irving, TX, and the Adel Hunt Gallery in Dallas, TX. Since moving to Biloxi in 2005, I have shown my paintings at the West End Gallery in Hattiesburg, MS and my work is now being shown exclusively at The Pink Rooster Gallery in Ocean Springs, MS. I have also won numerous awards including "Best of Show" out of 250+ entries juried by professional artists. My work hangs in private collections in homes, businesses and banks in Irving, Dallas, Abilene, Austin, Clearlake, Kemah, Houston, Paris and San Antonio, TX, Thousand Oaks, CA, Silver Springs, MD, Fort Myers, FL, Tulsa, OK, Taos, NM and Biloxi, MS.