Some words of Introduction
My formal training is as a visual artist. With a BFA and an MFA, both in painting and drawing, I work in my studio and in the field painting primarily the landscape. It is an immense source of satisfaction for me. As an artist I paint and express the world not only as I see it, but also the way I choose to see it. For me life is what you make of it, come what may. Consequently, I try to express the best of the human spirit and vision. You might say that mine is a work of aspiration. Through my art I find the things that give me a sense of beauty, hope, and peace in a world where it can sometimes be hard to see or feel.
I must confess that I do this, in part, because of so many modern artistic expressions that seek to point out what is wrong with life, the human condition, and the world. It is one thing to know and be aware of what is wrong through other's artistic expressions, and it is another thing to be so bombarded with it that it all just becomes white noise after awhile.
I also teach as an adjunct member of the art faculty at 2 institutions of higher learning, Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), and Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYUI). With both schools I specialize in drawing skills for beginning art majors.
In my work for SLCC, my classes are "web assisted," meaning that I use the "Canvas" system to aid in my work with my students, not only for assignments but also with grades, discussions, as well as syllabi and course outline information. For BYUI, I teach remotely, online. I-Learn is the system used for that work. All of the lesson materials, including tutorials and demonstrations, assignments, and discussion boards, are facilitated in this system. It is also where students post their work for critiques by me, and share feedback with each other.
I live in the Valley of the Great Salk Lake. I paint wherever my travels take me, and I do love a good road trip. I like to drink it all in, and spend a few minutes along the way to get in a sketch or two, and maybe a few photographs. I grew up in the Bear River Valley of Northern Utah, where my father was a gentleman farmer and my mother, a lover of literature. My wife and I work and spend time with our family. We raise a garden, and keep an eye on the kids.
I must confess that I do this, in part, because of so many modern artistic expressions that seek to point out what is wrong with life, the human condition, and the world. It is one thing to know and be aware of what is wrong through other's artistic expressions, and it is another thing to be so bombarded with it that it all just becomes white noise after awhile.
I also teach as an adjunct member of the art faculty at 2 institutions of higher learning, Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), and Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYUI). With both schools I specialize in drawing skills for beginning art majors.
In my work for SLCC, my classes are "web assisted," meaning that I use the "Canvas" system to aid in my work with my students, not only for assignments but also with grades, discussions, as well as syllabi and course outline information. For BYUI, I teach remotely, online. I-Learn is the system used for that work. All of the lesson materials, including tutorials and demonstrations, assignments, and discussion boards, are facilitated in this system. It is also where students post their work for critiques by me, and share feedback with each other.
I live in the Valley of the Great Salk Lake. I paint wherever my travels take me, and I do love a good road trip. I like to drink it all in, and spend a few minutes along the way to get in a sketch or two, and maybe a few photographs. I grew up in the Bear River Valley of Northern Utah, where my father was a gentleman farmer and my mother, a lover of literature. My wife and I work and spend time with our family. We raise a garden, and keep an eye on the kids.
How I Got Where I Am
As far back as I can remember, growing up in the Bear River Valley, I was a visual learner and a persistent draftsman. My parents often visited my room to see if I was okay, because I spent so much time at my desk just drawing. Much of it was depictions of cowboys riding herd on the cattle, and depictions of ridiculous looking funny cars, inspired in part by the "Munster's" dragster. My secondary level education in the visual arts consisted of two half year courses where the teacher was more interested in their personal quiet time than actually teaching something, and that was okay with me. They tended to leave me alone to draw more of what I wanted to draw. It was always a soothing personal experience, leaving me feeling like my time was well spent.
At the time that I got married I had no plans to attend college. My fiancé queried me until I relented, and with a worried tone in my voice I said that if I were to go to college, I would study art. I had every expectation that she would say something back like "don't quit your day job." Instead, she looked at me with a smile and said "I'll support you." My whole outlook changed at that moment. Plans ensued, literally within minutes, as to how we were going to go about it. It wasn't until we shared our new found direction as a couple with friends and family that we began to hear the "don't quit your day job" thing. Only it came in the form of a short pause, and then the question "well, you're gonna teach aren't ya?" To which we would assure them that that was in our plans. Truth is, we hadn't much thought beyond just getting into art school.
My post high school education in visual art began with my enrollment at Utah Technical College, now Salt Lake Community College, where I studied everything I had money and time for. In the end, I walked away with a lot of classes under my belt, but I lacked the discipline to work for an associates degree in the graphic arts. It was those pesky general education classes that just got in the way of the learning I really wanted to do. My perspective on that has certainly changed since then. After a short stint in the commercial art world, I started attending the University of Utah. There I received the education in true fine art oriented painting and drawing. I loved every class, and felt the motivation to really try, which is saying something for a kid who barely got by in high school. I received a Bachelors of Fine Art, with an emphasis in painting and drawing.
After another 8 years as a graphic artist I began my education at Brigham Young University, graduating with a Masters of Fine Arts, again with an emphasis in painting and drawing. Since then I've cobbled together a living from many sources, supporting my family and scraping together enough to keep a studio going and feeding the galleries some paintings.
At the time that I got married I had no plans to attend college. My fiancé queried me until I relented, and with a worried tone in my voice I said that if I were to go to college, I would study art. I had every expectation that she would say something back like "don't quit your day job." Instead, she looked at me with a smile and said "I'll support you." My whole outlook changed at that moment. Plans ensued, literally within minutes, as to how we were going to go about it. It wasn't until we shared our new found direction as a couple with friends and family that we began to hear the "don't quit your day job" thing. Only it came in the form of a short pause, and then the question "well, you're gonna teach aren't ya?" To which we would assure them that that was in our plans. Truth is, we hadn't much thought beyond just getting into art school.
My post high school education in visual art began with my enrollment at Utah Technical College, now Salt Lake Community College, where I studied everything I had money and time for. In the end, I walked away with a lot of classes under my belt, but I lacked the discipline to work for an associates degree in the graphic arts. It was those pesky general education classes that just got in the way of the learning I really wanted to do. My perspective on that has certainly changed since then. After a short stint in the commercial art world, I started attending the University of Utah. There I received the education in true fine art oriented painting and drawing. I loved every class, and felt the motivation to really try, which is saying something for a kid who barely got by in high school. I received a Bachelors of Fine Art, with an emphasis in painting and drawing.
After another 8 years as a graphic artist I began my education at Brigham Young University, graduating with a Masters of Fine Arts, again with an emphasis in painting and drawing. Since then I've cobbled together a living from many sources, supporting my family and scraping together enough to keep a studio going and feeding the galleries some paintings.