2022 was a big year for me as an artist, I guess you could say. I have always loved painting, drawing and photography. It seemed I could never carve out time for oil painting. I probably only did a hand full of them over the past 40 years. So, I made the decision to paint every Wednesday at Don Edwards “Nature’s Art Gallery”. What a great decision it was. It was there I also found out about Shreve
port Photographic Society and I went to my first meeting and was hooked! I bought my first camera 1982 when my daughter was two years old and my passion has grown from there. Along with portraiture, I love taking photos involving action. I owned and operated a rodeo newspaper from 2001 - 2012 in which I needed compelling photos on a monthly basis. Action, by its very nature, is always a moving target. Learning to capture action sharpens one’s eye. Both of my daughters played collegiate level fast-pitch softball. I remember finding that if I could focus on the ball as it crossed the plate; if I could capture that solitary image, everything else would fall into place. In photography everything falls into play if, as an observer, we are patient. As well, I have been a graphic designer since 1978. Over the years I have seen all of the publishing software programs come and go and as a result I have always tried to be forward looking when it came to technological advances that are my medium. I was eleven when I started oil painting; but found a connection with pencil from a very early age. I love being able to capture the life of a subject from a simple pencil. The hues, the drama, the expression I found myself able to achieve have kept me engaged in expressing my view of the world. To me pencil always seemed to remind me of photography somehow; since the colors are not for me to add I focus on light and dark, lines, angles. Much like pencil in my mind. When I graduated from high school in 1976, my goal in life was to be an artist. I tell people that it took me one semester in college to get my degree. I say this because at the time the college I attended and could afford offered nothing in art or photography. I felt I was wasting my grandmother's money and I did not want to continue. So, I guess you can say that I have spent the last 47 years getting my "On The Job Training." It has been a wonderful journey and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Like many life-long artists, I have received recognition for my accomplishments in both my personal and professional photography. I plan on adding both paintings and photos to this website on a regular basis. Thank you for visiting.
