Biography
My personal history lies within the art field since childhood--I do not recall a time in my life when I didn't create something two dimensionally. In 1990, I received a B.A. in Art Education, Cum Laude, from Johnson State College, Vermont. Shortly afterwards, I moved to Virginia thinking I would pursue a higher degree in Art Education, but found myself wanting to create art instead of teaching others to do so. I currently live in Charlottesville, VA.
Photo by Howard Romero
Taken while I attended the Vermont Studio Center April 2009
I am also The Mad Matter, Professional Picture Framer since 1990. My clients are primarily other artists preparing for their artshows. I mat, frame, and even hang artshows for other artists. To contact The Mad Matter, you may reach me through the "Contact Us" page, and either email me or call me!
Artwork
The styles that you will see are briefly described below.
My medium is oil on canvas.
"Memorable Places" Series is my signature style. By using stylized abstractions of native plant life and their surroundings, I am able to bring forth the unique beauty I see in nature to the viewer. I love to hike so my inspirations come directly from what I encounter on these ventures.
Pitcher Plants Series, blossoms and leaves. This series is inspired by conservation and restoration projects of Virginias wetlands--the bogs in which pitcher plants and other bogland plants grow are now few and far between. The exhibition of this series provides another venue for conversation of our stewardship of these fragile ecosystems to arise.
"Twigs" is a series of vignettes of small, well, twigs. These paintings mostly explore the intertwining of the backgorund colour and the subject matter by "pulling" the background colour through the subject matter into the foreground, creating a dialogue between these two fields more than negative vs. positive space.