Present Residence - Arizona
Education - Art Institute of Atlanta (Photography) 1981, University of Toledo, OH, (B.A. Media Arts) 1986

My Photography Career
My first studio was in Atlanta in 1982, on Spring Street, followed by other studios in San Diego, LA, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Savannah. Starting out, I concentrated mostly on model portfolios and actor headshots. In the late 80's, after I received my degree, I slowly moved away from commercial photography and migrated into the field of video production. In 1999 I returned to commercial product photography with the popularity of the internet and the advent of E-commerce websites. Now I am concentrating on illustrative and editorial photography with a strong interest in travel, "Old World" photography and I also plan to finally begin selling Limited Edition silver gelatin prints and mass producing select images into Open Edition posters and prints. I also hope to gallery some of my Fine Art LE prints, in the future. Though I enjoy the work of many photographers, Edward Weston is my favorite.

As an Artist
I am basically a self-taught artist except for the art classes I had in high school, which were more fun than instructionaI, I did absorb the foundations and principles of drawing from my mechanical and architectural design classes. With no prior training I started painting in 1998, creating my first Mininalist work . Then in 2001 I created my first subject painting "Truck In Blue." I believe my years as a photographer has helped me with composition, color and value, plus the fact that I paint from the photgraphs I've taken.

Right now I am primarily a "part-time" painter working in oils and watercolors. I usually work on large canvases and as far as subject matter I prefer man-made subjects associated with nature. I find pure landscapes boring unless they have a hint of "man" in them. I am now building my reference photo library around Urban and Industrial America. I especially like 50's and 60's architecture in various stages of decay. As far as other artists, I like the American Impressionists over the Europeans, however I love the work of Pissaro and my most favorite painting is Manet's "Olympia," which often inspires me to just create "Saloon Nudes."

Artist Statement
I really admire those artist who can create from the "mind's eye." If I don't see it before me, in real life, I have difficulty translating it onto canvas. Maybe that's the reason why I gravitated towards photography -- the finished product was easier to control. But as I read more about the history of past artists I find that much of their rough or "minds eye" work was not always perfect and many of these artists created work which, in todays world, some would consider immature. "So maybe if I want to be an artist I shouldn't worry so much as to try and create 'perfect work,' more importantly, as an artist, I should just create."