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Personal:
Education:
History:
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I was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1950. I grew up in Albuquerque and was blessed to have two uncles who loved to fish. They took me and my brother with them and taught us what they knew. We used salmon eggs and spinners to fish the streams of northern New Mexico around Taos and Tierra Amarilla. It was at this time I became fascinated by clear, cold moving water and the trout it held.
My family came to the Denver area in 1963 and I was exposed to Colorado streams and fly fishing. I’ve used flies exclusively now for many years and practice catch and release but I have fond memories of my uncles and don’t hold the bait thing against them, trout were considered food and I had to start somewhere.
In 1966 I was hired to work at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimmaron New Mexico as a counselor. I lived in a tent for four summers and loved it.
After college, I held a number of jobs that didn’t lead to where I wanted to go so I pursued some additional training in graphics and technical illustration.
I worked as a graphic artist and draftsman for several different outfits and as a technical illustrator for a major Colorado Aerospace company. My Award winning illustrations appeared in numerous magazines and museum exhibits throughout the country. In 1994 I struck out on my own with the blessings of a very understanding wife.
I don’t consider myself to be exclusively a fishing artist, but I gravitate to the subject because I love being on the water and always seem to find something that needs to be painted. I plan my paintings as I fish and reconstruct the memory in my studio with photos and sketches.
Wilderness waters hold the greatest appeal for me because of the solitude they provide, so I backpack in and stay a while. The fishing is usually worth the effort.
Some Commercial Distinctions:
• I've won numerous awards from the Society for Technical Communications for graphic design and illustration
(national and international.)
• My illustrations appeared in major publications such as Air & Space Smithsonian, Aerospace America, Aviation
Week, Popular Science and others.
• Some of my illustrations were included as part of a long term exhibit in the Air & Space museum, Washington DC.
Experience in fine art:
•1976 - 5th Colorado Annual - The Denver Art Museum, Denver CO. A juried exhibition.
•1994 - "Works on Canvas" - Lakewood Municipal Center, Lakewood CO. A juried Exhibition, Award Winner.
•1994 - "Visions of Space" - Fiske Planetarium, Boulder, CO. A juried exhibition, Award Winner.
•1995 - 34th Poudre Valley Art Exhibition, (National Show), Lincoln Center, Ft Collins CO. Award winner.
•1996 - Featured Artist of the Month for June, "River Portraits" Saks Galleries of Cherry Creek, Denver CO.
•1995-98 - Small Treasures, Saks Galleries of Cherry Creek, Denver CO.
•2002 - Five Concept Murals painted for the Mars Society were on display at the Kennedy Space Center.
•2005 - Mini 50, Arts for the Parks, Painting Sold to the Grand Canyon Association.
•2005 - Commission for the Gart Brothers Corporate Office.
•2006 - Top 100, Arts for the Parks.
•2009 - Top 100, Paint the Parks, Top 100 Paint America.
•2010-2011 - Gallery Artist Group Shows, Saks Galleries of Cherry Creek, Denver CO.
•2012 - Jurors Award, Paint America. Never received my award though!
•2013 - Established my website and began to explore new ways of reaching customers.
•2014 - Continued to work commissions and pursue online sales. Joined the Midcurrent.com online gallery.
•2016 - Present - I am emerging from a fallow period that I did not realize I was entering. The deaths of people I loved, forest fires and drought changed my world view for a while. However, I continued to paint through this time and think I became a better painter for it.