…keeping it simple because at my core I’m a minimalist.

Craftsmanship, Creativity, Passion are what motivate me to paint.

Passion:
As a child, my family spent time on the Oregon coast. My mother taught me the art of tidepooling and hunting for seashells. My father was always in search of a secret beach. My love for the ocean started there.
During the summer months while in college I lived in a tent in the woods above a surf break. There was only a handful of us that surfed that spot. We sat around a campfire every night.

Craftsmanship:
My first trip aboard was a hitchhiking journey through Japan. I was fortunate enough to visit a man who made swords, another who built houses without power tools, just handsaws and chisels. I also met a potter with a three chamber wood fire kiln. They set the bar pretty high.

Creativity:
I had a mentor for two years. His name was Bruce Wild. You wouldn’t know him. I have a photo of him digging clay from a creek bed for his pottery. But, it wasn’t just pottery that he created. Any tool in his hand, whether it was a welding torch, a hammer, a pencil or a paint brush outpoured creativity.

So that’s it.
Minimalist to the core.