I was born in San Antonio, TX, 1950. I grew up on ranches and farms, and drew the horses and other creatures that I was around during childhood. I learned to draw cartoons from 50’s and 60’s TV and, then, horses from life and magazines, at the same time growing up on TV westerns. I loved to read and that lead me to loving stories of all kinds. I was an illustrator of children’ materials, worked as elementary teacher for a couple of years, and served in the US Air Force for 24 years. Since retirement in 2000 I became a full-time artist, but I had had a lot of practice and experience. I drew and painted as an amateur for nearly 40 years. Early on I studied every artist I could find a book on. I visited museums and viewed a lot of artwork. While in the military I got to visit New York, Boston, and Berlin. Recently I have been fortunate to visit Madrid, Barcelona, and Paris. I’m always studying and learning, picking up ideas, and ways to do stuff.
When I finally got going making art full-time, I was acceted into dozens and dozens of exhibits. I was invited to join a Denver gallery, Sandy Carson Gallery, where I showed for almost 15 years. Landscape, western and cowboy scenes, human figure, narrative, you name it, I painted it. A formative influence, she also placed me in many corporate collections. I created large- scale installations of paintings and construction, always with an eye for drama and impact. I moved to Albuquerque in 1994, and I began showing in many of the local cafes and restaurants, got into some shows and recognition in museums, and got into a gallery in Santa Fe with fantasy and expressionist work. I am currently represented by Nuart Gallery in Santa Fe and Mary Martin Gallery in Charleston, SC. My work is in the Colorado Judicial Building, Denver, Albuquerque Museum, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque High School, Andaluz Hotel and other corporate collections, and hundreds of individual ones throughout the United States and a wonderful collector in Switzerland.
Artist Statement
These pieces represent a sample of more than 20 years of work. These painted works are meant to illustrate flashes of imagery inspired from literary and other popular cultural sources, as well as my own inventions and discoveries. The stories of my creatures—namely Mergatroids, Big Heads, Eggmen, and the other fantastic denizens of Planet Fantomas — form the basis of my fantastical oeuvre. Cutouts are intended to be placed around, over and under paintings and other forms in an exhibit, as in a curiosity shop. Cutouts are made of wood; some of my paintings are done on metal, wood, and, of course, canvas, mostly linen. My recent work involves painting, sculpture, text, poetry, photography, collage, and assemblage on cardboard, fabric, and varieties of other surfaces.
