|
|
Around the Corner, 36" x 36"
“Selfie”
30” x 40”, Oil on Canvas
My initial exposure to serious painting came later than most of my peers. Post secondary school, I worked two years as an apprentice draftsman. My primary task was to assimilate details from engineers onto a single, large, detailed drawing. I suspect this planted the seed to paint (albeit decades later) on a larger scale and an appreciation for getting the details right. Artistic interests during my collegiate years steadily progressed from commercial art into more creative studio work. I graduated from the University of Akron with a BFA Drawing and Painting in 1972.
Upon graduation, I accepted a commission in the USAF and began a forty-year aviation career. I served twenty two years as a USAF pilot, followed by another eighteen years flying internationally as a Boeing 747 Captain. Although frequently relocating during my career, I tried to revive the creative juices whenever conditions would allow. There were many “temporary studios” in garages, basements and storage rooms; never quite able to satisfy my desire to paint large scale.
Retiring in 2012, I attained a decades old goal of unlimited time and reasonable studio space to paint full-time. I found ample opportunity in Northeastern Ohio for artists to get meaningful exposure to juried exhibitions. The feedback from these jurors has been immensely helpful. Among other awards, I’m proud to have paintings accepted four times into the National MidYear Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art.