About Me
I am an Albuquerque-based contemporary/pop realism painter, originally from Sacramento, California. While working as a contractor in the trades since 2002, I've also been a commissioned portrait and caricature artist for even longer. I have had my (non-commissioned) work included in many shows and galleries across the country, and have been included in many collections around the world. The lack of a formal education in fine art has never been an obstacle, as painting and sculpting have always been a passion, from my first memories in grade school to the present. Since moving to Abuquerque in 2022 to join the rest of my family in the high country, I have retired my toolbelt to begin my next chapter as a full time artist.
I owe it all to my grade school teachers. My first memory with art was of my 3rd grade teacher making a big deal about a horse I had drawn. Then, in the 6th grade, winning first place in the national “My School Secretary is Special” poster contest. I was hooked like a starving catfish.
From there, I used all the art supplies that I could get my hands on to paint pastel or watercolor portraits of family, friends and pets.
While serving in the US Navy, I took a part time job as a caricature artist at the Sea World in San Diego, California. I recommend this type of thing to any artist who might want to steer away from the traditional mindset of “coloring inside the lines”
I was there to improvise on a person's features, and at the same time keep them smiling (or better yet, laughing) …and this was called a job!?
Since then, I’ve shown in galleries and shows, and have painted several portraits of people, their kids, pets, and some of their houses.
My next goal is to put away my commissioned work, and focus on painting whatever comes to mind…]
My Process
Most of my paintings are all about whatever the viewer makes of it. An idea for what I call “a scene” will come to me at the oddest times, and will sometimes be of the most unusual subject matter, and will usually be interpreted differently by each viewer. If I had to describe my motivation for the subject matter, I’d say that I want the viewer to wonder what I was thinking. The result in subject matter is not intended to be complex. Then there are the paintings of dance and real-life paintings. (more on dance below)
As with most of my paintings, like my dance paintings or anything with a human element, I will take a screenshot of something I’m watching, or sketch an idea. Step 2 would be to have someone model for me or I will pose a 3D model using programs like Poser or Daz 3D. With the help of Photoshop and other 3d programs, such as Blender (no AI) I will arrange the elements of a painting into the “scene”. The difficult process of finding models or manipulating light has become far easier than it was 20 years ago. Although, I still use family and friends to model for me, it is far less often needed. Some have called it contemporary realism, but what I'm hearing more often is “pop-realism”.
I work mainly with stretched canvas, but have used canvas board or just hardboard, depending on the result I’m looking for. Lately, I’ve been using canvas-textured Strathmore paper, or 300lb coldpress watercolor paper to save on storage for quick paintings. While a tricky surface at first, it has grown on me.
While I started with traditional oils, I’ve moved to Windsor and Newton water-soluble oils. This has saved a lot of valuable cleaning time, and is far easier on my brushes. I’ve gone through many mediums over the years, and for now I think I’ve found, for me, the easiest and most forgiving way to express my ideas.
More behind-the-scenes (bonus features)
My past work leaned more toward realism, practicing detail with charcoal and graphite. Using anything interesting I could find as a subject. I never did get into extreme detail (hyper-realism), as I've always been too impatient, ready to start the next painting. Most of all, I have a love for the painterly effect. After taking a second job in my early twenties as a caricature artist in a big theme park, I found the freedom of improvisation to be more rewarding. Spontaneous brush strokes that look like they were thrown on. I work mainly from reference material, as opposed to plein air, or sittings. Not that I dislike live work (the best part of painting a person in front of you, is the real emotion they can't help but show... and to make them laugh!), my job back then was to make people smile while they sat, unsure they made the right decision in sitting down in the first place.
Please write or call to chat
