the artist
I am driven by a head full of ideas like schoolchildren clamoring to share a hidden answer. Each time I step into the studio with the plan to launch a new project, the ideas beg with arms raised high overhead and burst out loud, “PICK ME! PICK ME!!” When I sit at my desk to write, the ideas behave differently. Shy, silent, tentative, and unsure; they hide. I catch glimpses of them. They peek with wide-eyes from dark murky depths until coaxed into the light. The writing ideas are easily spooked and quick to scamper away. I either have to pretend not to notice them or patiently and kindly win their confidence…always surprised later by the words strung together and the thoughts captured.
I am fueled by adventure both inside and outside of the studio. Compelled to explore, I push boundaries, experiment, and scare myself. I’ve been shipwrecked on a Mexican island, stepped on by a bear while sleeping alone in the backcountry, nearly blown off the top of Mt Rainier, flipped in Class Five rapids, and completely mesmerized while climbing frozen waterfalls. Exploring, I push my physical and mental limits while creating art and living life. Spirituality weaves itself through everything.I created a life-size figurative sculpture in steel when I was 16 and taught myself to carve with a chainsaw while in my 20’s. I have a lucky knack for a variety of media…even carved huge sculptures for Nestle out of chocolate. My life and art have been featured in several books and articles along with a few radio and TV appearances. The DIY network filmed a half hour show about my work for their woodcarving series. Numerous awards, exhibitions, and commissions have garnished my career like candy sprinkles on a frosted cupcake.
Home is a cozy cabin at the end of a road near the top of a mountain in Paradise Valley, Montana. I live a “storied” life not unlike a quirky, comic imaginative movie. I write, perform and create works of art that celebrate, commemorate, stir quietly or dance loudly. Days off are spent tagging summits, traversing ridges, ice climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking, rafting – most anything outdoors. Video clips from adventures inside and outside the studio are uploaded regularly to my YouTube Channel. The Patron Place was created to encourage community with those who purchase my art, reward members with free art, free webinares, first chance at new artworks, insider information and special invitations. The newsletter goes out about every other month. The blog shares photos, entertaining stories, raw thoughts, and the insight gleamed from an authentic life lived fully. I hope you'll visit me often.
