As a child/teen I spent a lot of time perfecting realism in my drawing techniques. I became quite good at it. I did many pencil drawings of photographs (ruined abbeys and monasteries) but I was also getting into comics and comic art. Eventually my love of music and graphic illustration pushed me to more stylized drawing such as Roger Dean. Upon entering the Fine Art program at Pensacola State College, under the leadership of award-winning painter Carl Duke and artist and poet Allan Peterson, I pivoted away from drawing altogether and took up painting.
At the age of 21 I visited The National Gallery in Washington, where I saw the exhibition "Kandinsky: Improvisations", as well as large paintings by Matisse, Motherwell, Gottlieb and others. That experience opened my eyes and mind to an appreciation for modern art. My main artistic influencers are Kline, Soulages and de Kooning, but I also love De Chirico, Magritte and Whistler. Really too many to name. Every year I continue my journey exploring and developing my own form of contemporary art.
