About

I paint the West as I see it, somewhere between myth and reality. Cowboys, musicians, and desert scenes show up often, each with a quiet sense of character, humor, and something just slightly askew.

I grew up on the East Coast and first met the West through television, building my own version of it long before I ever arrived. The day after high school graduation, I headed for Arizona. I was so excited I ran barefoot onto the sidewalk and immediately blistered my feet. Myth, meet reality.

Arizona was too hot. Colorado was too cold. Los Angeles was just right, but that’s another story.

I began my formal training at Mission: Renaissance in Los Angeles, where I studied traditional techniques rooted in the old masters. While I gained a strong technical foundation, I eventually found myself pulling away from tightly controlled, highly traditional work in search of something looser, more personal, and a lot less predictable.

After stepping away from painting for many years, I returned in 2024 after discovering Milan Art Institute. There, I began exploring mixed media, experimentation, and new approaches to painting that emphasized finding my own voice rather than following someone else’s.

That shift shows up in my work now with pieces that are less about perfection and more about presence, personality, and feeling.

As a musician, I’m drawn to cowboy singers and the idea of sound traveling across open land. I’m fascinated by frontier stories and by the humor and stubborn optimism of people who leave one life behind in pursuit of another.

I’m especially interested in character, how personality can live inside a posture, or even an object. My work often sits somewhere between sincerity and subtle humor, where things are recognizable, but not entirely straightforward.

I’ve listened to Lonesome Dove far too many times while painting and likely will again.