About Me/Contact Me

I've been creating something since I can remember. At first it was spaceships, drawing versions of the "Enterprise." then it was planes. I thought I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer, until I discovered math mostly governs airplane design.

Then it was cars. I love drawing cars to this day. I kept thick sketchbooks of original designs. Around the same time, in college, I discovered figure drawing. Specifically, abstract figure drawing. One of my first abstractions is on my home page, "Solitude." In college, I chnaged my major, and became an extrememly prolific artist.

I went to the Center for Creative studies after I obtained my B.A. in Art from Grinnell College, hoping to fulfil my dream of becoming an automotive designer. I leared a great deal about line and volume. It was an intense program, and it shaped how I represent the figure now.

I fell in love with pastels and charcoal in college, and enjoy making bigger and bigger pieces. I loved to try to convey a sense of epic proportions, now, I seek to convey intimacy and passion in my art.

I have learned a great deal about the manipulation of various media. My acrylics include directly applied pigment, and as for my pastels, they are done now exclusively on Wallis paper, which produces an intensity of color unparalleled by other surfaces. I use Schmincke and Unison pastels, and as for acrylics, I highly recommend Golden acrylics. I haven't done many oils for quite a while, as I live in an apartment. But I do own a large quantity, and I highly recommend Schmincke Mussini and Norma oils, as well as Holbein oils.

Charcoals though are by far the most satisfying. With materials that barely amount to more than $10 (excluding the paper) I can create a work which I have sold for $3500. Some artists become obsessed with purchasing the most expensive or exclusive paints or pastels available. I believe my charcoals prove that all an artist needs is the talent, time and desire, and a great work is sure to follow.

I've been playing a musical instrument since fourth grade, when I played the trumpet. When I changed schools for fifth grade, the music instructor said I was too big for the trumpet! In truth, he just wanted someone big enough to lug around the tuba. So I did, playing up until my senior year. While I loved playing classical music, the tuba itself wasn't a "cool" instrument. I didn't look forward to going home and playing the tuba. So, as I began to listen to AC/Dc, I decided a change was due.

I've been playing the guitar since senior year in high school, at first trying to play like Angus of AC/DC, then Jimmy Page, and finally Hendrix. When I started dating a woman who would become my fiancee at the time, I learned to write songs, the first album being written for her. Done in a plot-based style reminiscent of "Tommy" by the Who, I learned to play the drums, bass, and to sing in a rock style to finish it. I couldn't tell you how many times I've re-recorded a drum line or resung a vocal track.

So here it is, 2006, and I have seven albums, on all of which I have done the guitar, bass, drum and vocal tracks, as well as recording, mixing and mastering. I've been in several bands, and while I may never make it big, that doesn't mean I'll ever stop writing songs.

Around the same time I started writing songs, I decided I would like to eventually write a novel. I had recently read Moby-Dick and the Dune series, and felt like I wanted to create something in the epic idiom. So, on the long train trips to see my girlfriend at the time, I began to write a novel in longhand. Eventually, I got it into a computer. How dissapointed I was! It only turned out to be only 48 pages long.
As the years passed, I worked on it intermittently, writing a novella for my fiancee at the time for Christmas. I got back to the novel, writing a sequel, and finally, a third part that consisted of several plays. Then it came time to really work on the novel.
That 48 page kernel eventually became two novels, with a total page count of 700 pages! The unified storyline of Star Trek Deep Space Nine was a major influence and stimulant, as I wanted to create something better. I've added many more characters, created many more plotlines, giving the world I created a richness and depth.