Personal Statement - My Art History

I, like many children, started my art life with a piece of paper and a pencil on the kitchen table. From locomotives, houses, trees, horses, and people involved in various activities, my drawings gathered the attention of my family. My mother had a friend who was an art teacher near our home, and our visits became short art lessons, and I was given some basic supplies. Colored chalks, some tubes of water color, an occasional brush. I was able to do some reasonable work on my own.

Art was a favorite in school, and I drew my first self portrait in the 4th grade. My work reflected in model airplane construction and clay modeling. My father had a friend who lived in the Superstition Mountains, an artist of local repute, Charles Fredrick Higham. At his stone house in the desert, Mr Higham took an interest in my enthusiasm, and showed me the basics of paint and color mixing, application, and use of brush and knife. I did what I could to nurture my hobby. When in high school, my family rented a house to the new art teacher, Mr. Clydsdale. He was most helpful, and taught me techniques and method, style, and many of the nuances of oils.

As a new architecture student at Arizona State University, I took courses is sketching, water color, gouache, and pen and ink, along with some general art courses. Fate took me into Construction and Engineering Management, but art remained a prominent hobby while raising two active sons.

Upon my retirement, I took several courses at Diablo Valley College to refine my focus and work on technique. I continue to paint almost every day, and most of my works are taken from life experiences. The West, Native Americans, horses, livestock, and working people are of major interest, as well as outdoor scenes, seascapes, and occasional abstract work.