My formal artistic training was in piano performance, not visual art. However, in the summer of 2006 I was browsing through art galleries in Rockport, Maine and was overwhelmed with an urge to paint. Unlike the temporary impact of musical compositions, works of art on canvas can be enjoyed continuously. They are more permanent in their setting, even though the audience may be much smaller.

I usually paint what I see. A closeup of a plant possesses more detail in my mind than the entire environment in which it grows. A portrait of a beloved pet contains endless emotions. The background of these subjects play a subordinate role.

Sometimes I paint what I can't see. Whether depicting a scene from the Sumerian creation myths or creating a random image using natural influences such as gravity, the method is the artist, not me.

I am a native of Newport, Arkansas and was born in 1962. The highlight of my youth was earning Eagle Scout at the age of 13. I graduated from Newport High School in 1980 as the class president and then attended Arkansas State University where I studied piano performance and sociology.

After 13 years as an Air Force officer, I transitioned into information technology which required a lot of graphic arts during the design of web sites.

In 2002, I moved to Maine -- a state that can turn any ordinary soul into an artist. Now a resident of Greenville and Portland, Maine, I manage my wife's small law office and use my spare time to paint.