Biography

I grew up on a farm outside of Bangor, MI. My parents were academic hippies and jumped on the 'back-to-the-land movement' in a unique fashion. They called the farm the School of Homesteading and used it for teaching people organic farming and self-sufficiency. In 1973, during the school's first year, in the middle of Bruce Lee's death kick, our television died. I was 10 years old. It was 12 years later before a television showed its face in our home again. There is a connection between these two historical items; I suddenly had to find ways to entertain myself and the farm provided a background for such creative efforts. 

My mother's grandfather and father were both furniture makers. They left their tools to my mom. Our shop on the farm was filled with many wonderful and strange tools. Over time I learned to use most of them in a relatively crude manner. While rough in appearance I did learn to take raw materials and create something interesting and sometimes useful from them.

In 1981 I graduated from Bangor High. With steady and purposeful stride I walked through my high school's gates and straight to the hallowed halls of Western Michigan University. I was intent on a dual math and art major. Diligently I began the mandatory beginning art classes and floundered in boredom. Forsaking both art and math I spent the next five years studying Anthropology. I graduated in 1986 with a Bachelors in Science and continued onward toward a Masters in Anthropology.

Once again life took another one of those mysterious turns it's known for and I dropped this pursuit just short of completing a Masters. It seems that behind the creative process drags a hook that snags onto all of us who have some rough seams. During the two years I spent working toward a Masters degree I also began exploring illuminated manuscripts, teaching myself calligraphy and reading poetry. The three made a wonderful combination that pleased me immensely. Interestingly I found others were willing to purchase these illuminated pieces of calligraphy. Thus began an ambling course toward my current profession.

In 1992 I was coaxed into submitting a proposal for a mural competition at the Kalamazoo Public Library. Although I was not awarded this commission, I was asked to recreate the design in another area of the library the following year. Following this first mural the request for murals trickled in at an ever-increasing rate. In 1995 the creating of murals became a full time profession.

Check here for a text listing of nearly all works.