I've been involved in painting most of my life but never really settled down to do it full-time and try to give the attention it deserved in my life. After taking art classes all through my elementary school days, taking art every year in junior high and high school, and continuing with some art in college, I opted for high-tech and became a software engineer and later a development manager. After 15 years in the software industry I noticed that things like my art work had dropped away and I wanted to reclaim my life and this work. In 1999 I left my software job, and with the help of my partner, Catherine, embarked on a path of "right livelihood" that meant doing what we loved and giving to ourselves, our family, and our community. DharmaWorks and DharmaWorks Studio was born. Besides painting I'm involved in lots of activities that I find my painting inspiration from - things like fly fishing, climbing, and kayaking. If you want to know more, check out my personal home page.
I am, for the most part, a self-taught artist who works in soft pastel and oils. I have added to my formal art education by attending Cornish College of the Arts and the Academy of Realist Art, both in Seattle as well as taking several workshops. My subject matter is mostly Northwest landscape - the rivers and waterways that I've grown to love so much in this area and that are a big part of my life. I have been known to dabble with watercolor, and printmaking or doing different subject matter but I keep coming back to pastels, oils, and the landscape.
My work is about showing the magic of places that are very special to me. My paintings are impressionistic and not overly concerned with realistic detail. I strive to reflect the soul of the location more than the physical representation of it. I enjoy exploring new landscapes and waterways and as I discover them I try to take in the feel of the area and then put that onto paper or canvas. I like to work in plein-air and do some works totally on location. More common though, is a mixture of outdoor work, photographs, and eventually studio work for a finished piece.
Member of the Northwest Pastel Society