Statement, Bio, and CV
Statement
I believe that reality and imagination are intertwined. My paintings fuse them to open up new ways of thinking about what’s possible. It comes from a lifelong impulse to consider possibilities and deeper meanings—something that began when I walked alone into the Arizona desert as a child. I learned not only to see, but to feel and listen. I discovered that reality and truth often lie outside of perception and reason. My figurative paintings draw on history, myth, psychology, and personal memories to uncover unseen layers of experience. My landscapes reflect on the relationship between place and identity. Places carry emotional, cultural, and historical weight. They are more than backdrop: they are living carriers of memory and meaning. The artwork invites viewers to sense what lies just beyond the surface.
Bio
I was born in Wisconsin, spent my formative years in Tucson, Arizona, traveled and lived abroad for eight years, and currently live in Colorado. Along with a lifetime of painting, I studied small mammals in the southwestern US and Mexico, wrote AI software, worked on cruise ships, and was a psychology professor. Along the way, I earned a BA in Wildlife Biology, an MFA in Painting, and a PhD in Psychology. I have exhibited paintings and sculptures in the United States and in Germany.
When I was eight years old, I walked into the Sonoran Desert, alone. I never came back. My desert journey spanned several years and countless miles of brush and cacti,. , the tops of hills and into abandoned mines. I’ve been surrounded by coyotes, javelina, and hundreds of bats. Ate cactus and agave fruits and talked with plants and animals. Those experiences in the desert influenced my outlook on life and art. They taught me to see the world differently, to look beyond the surface, and discern their true nature.
In front of Moulin Galette, Montmarte, Paris