I was born in North Carolina, but my artistic inspiration has been derived from both living abroad, in France and New Zealand, and from the influence of various artists, especially French Artists. My style is a fusion of Modern American Realism and French Fauvism. In 1994 I met Dr. Augustin Quilici while I was attending Lenoir-Rhyne College. When Dr. Quilici learned I was interested in art, he took me immediately to his office and showed me the work of his cousin, celebrated French Artist Jean-Claude Quilici. In Jean-Claude’s work I found my own instincts about color and texture confirmed, and through Dr. Quilici I met Jean-Claude twice and we became friends. In 1996 I visited with Jean-Claude Quilici at his Sun Gallery in Paris, France. That spring I also visited the major museums of France, and various locations where Van Gogh and Cezanne painted.
     From 1999 to 2003 my wife and I lived in Auckland, New Zealand, where I painted, sold and exhibited works inspired by the city, the North Shore Bays, and the ocean. One of my pictures was purchased for the lobby of the Sebel Suites Hotel in downtown Auckland. A pivotal point came when my wife and I moved back to America and settled in Arizona after a brief period in rural New Mexico. In Arizona everything I’d learned about painting came to fruition, most especially the influence of the Catalina Mountains, the harsh, rocky landscapes, and the serene beauty of the desert. I feel there is something grand and eternal about the Southwest, especially Arizona and New Mexico. I think it’s this character that I hope to bring out in my work. I am not content to repeat the work that’s gone before me. It is my hope to push Southwestern landscape painting far beyond the bounds of traditional or nostalgic styles.