How I Began to Make Art

In 1972, while studying architecture, I saw a very small picture in Time Magazine of this old guy with an oversized mask on his face. Another image showed this same guy with a big, wide smile on his face. The article was about Picasso, one of the most famous artist of all time. I had never heard of him before. I remember thinking, “Looks like this guy is having a great time. I want to do what he's doing." That was all the inspiration I needed to begin making art.

Then There Was Europe

16 months later, I went on a study aboard trip with 40 other architecture students. We were encouraged to draw and photograph every day. I enthusiastically drew and painted daily while we spent 6 weeks in Salzburg and on the road for a month through then Yugoslavia, Greece, and Italy. Independently, I visited Zurich, London, and Paris. That trip opened my eyes to a different world of beauty and further inspiration.

What Happened Next

I met my wife while in Europe so that same trip. We were married before we graduated and moved to Richmond, Virginia where I prepared a portfolio to apply for graduate school. I earned my MFA at Rhode Island School of Design. Soon there after worked with another RISD graduate doing set design, costume design, and other miscellaneous work. When he moved to Virginia, I stumbled into a design build bathroom job which began a long career as a designer/contractor. Making art was more important for me than showing my work until now.