Art! What a great way to make a living! What other job exists where you can gently mix creativity, emotion, color and hard work and pour it all into a comfortable living? Or take the same ingredients, shake them up a bit and pour them into an experience? What other job affords such a diverse array of experiences in the form of people, places, movement, sounds and above all, a visual cornucopia of treasures?

Even after 20 years of Creating Fine Art Portraits of People, Places and Animals, I never Tire of the Challenge! Every Face is Different. Every Client is Different. And while I Create, I am in the "Art Zone." It doesn't Get Any Better than That!

All the awards and recognition are pretty exciting at first, but after awhile, well, it's the clients who matter most! Maybe you've seen my artwork in “Veranda”, “Carolina Country” or “Our State?” Or maybe you've seen my illustrations in Breakthrough Publications, McGraw Hill or Houghton-Mifflin publications? I have over a thousand portraits displayed in homes and businesses around the globe. Now that's exciting! It is hard to put a price on the gratification and emotional value of portraits and artwork that delight my clients!

My university art experience did not exactly match my artistic hopes. The reality of the education was a disappointment. But what I did discover was that life experiences strengthen the artistic mind and open the doors to the colors and dynamics of the world!

I spent a lot of time in and among the energy and competition of the dog and horse show worlds. I felt the biting cold of northern winters and the peaceful oasis of underwater exploration. I experienced world travel, hot humid southern summers and sailing. I like to think that all of an artist's life experiences lodge somewhere on shelves in the mind just waiting to be pulled out and dusted off when the visual need arises!

And so when I create a painting for a client, a little piece of me goes onto the canvas. A little of my experiences in life go into the final composition, the colors and the subjects of the portrait!

So come join me at my Wake Forest studio at the Cotton Company. Watch a portrait unfold and ask me questions. An artist's journey is far more fun with company!

To Read the Testimonial of a Local Family, Visit Here.

To View a Video Where I Discuss my Work, Visit Here.

To View a Full Portfolio of My Work, Visit the Galleries on My Website.