I have been interested in art for as long as I can remember. Growing up in East Tennessee, I was surrounded by the mountains, rivers, fields, and changing seasons that would eventually become an important part of my life as an artist. Even as a child, I was drawn to drawing and creating, and that early interest gradually developed into a lifelong passion for painting.
My wife, Diane, and I have traveled to many parts of the country and beyond, and those journeys have provided countless subjects and impressions for my paintings. My work reflects not simply a record of these places, but my personal response to them—the atmosphere, light, mood, and sense of place that make each landscape distinctive.
Whether I am painting the familiar landscapes of East Tennessee or distant locations discovered through travel, I seek to capture more than what the eye encounters. I want my paintings to invite the viewer to pause, to experience the atmosphere of a particular moment, and to recognize the quiet beauty found in the landscape. Much of my work is inspired by places that have been meaningful to me, but ultimately I hope the paintings become meaningful to the people who live with them.
My formal education began at the University of Tennessee, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and a Master of Science degree in Art Education. My education in graphic design gave me a strong appreciation for composition, structure, and visual relationships, while my background in art education gave me an even deeper understanding of the creative process and the importance of continuing to learn and grow as an artist.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of presenting my work in 22 one-man exhibitions and receiving regional and national awards. My paintings are represented in more than 600 private and public collections. I am grateful for each of those opportunities, but perhaps what means the most to me is knowing that my paintings have found places in the homes and lives of so many people.
Painting is an ongoing conversation between artist and place—a lifelong pursuit of seeing, interpreting, and preserving the beauty of the world around me. Being an artist has never been simply about making paintings. It has been a lifelong journey of learning to see.
