My art career began in 1964 with drawings of Godzilla in battle with squadrons of fighter jets. Fellow first graders were my early collectors for these scenes of chaos; all free for the asking. At the time, no one knew I'd rather draw cars and castles, but the Godzilla drawings were so popular and made my friends so happy, I couldn't resist.
When I was ten years old, my parents (AKA Santa Claus) gave me a microscope for Christmas. The entire process of using the microscope fascinated me; the lens that had two settings, the little rectangular glass slides, even the gray metal box it came in! But of course the best thing was getting a good look into an infinitely tiny magical world. A grain of sugar became a revelation to me. A blade of grass could turn into a hairy log! The scales of a butterfly wing astounded me.
I think my parents knew me better than to expect the microscope to be a launching pad into a bio-science career, but if by chance they did, that didn’t happen. In fact, I am quite sure that if I remember correctly, within a matter of a few months my brother or I had somehow accidentally destroyed the thing. We were not careful kids, after all. At least not with complicated things like microscopes.
However... the magnified intricacies of that hidden, secret world have always stayed with me. I was asked to add a flower (in closeup) to a commissioned landscape painting a few years ago, and since that time my direction has slowly changed. I’d been painting broad expanses of sky, and have gradually moved more into the intense focus of a much smaller subject, even though I still love to paint sky.
Many of my paintings incorporate a mystical, soft focus background. The sharp foreground and fuzzy background are distinctly different, but both contribute equally to the overall mood I want to convey. My subject matter varies; it may be a leaf, a flower, a rock, a twig…but my goal is to reveal the wonder of the hidden world around us. I like to focus on the geometry of the composition. Sometimes for me, the composition; the way the elements are arranged... is much more important than the actual subject matter.
My paintings embrace an admiration of simplicity. Colors may be brilliant and bold, but never shocking. The work evokes a contemplative and peaceful place, be it a sun-showered field of daisies or a quiet, icy winter scene. My work has been showcased in juried shows throughout Colorado. In 2006, my work was chosen by acclaimed director Kar Wai Wong to be used in his film 'My Blueberry Nights', starring Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weiss, and Nora Jones.
AWARDS and Special Interest:
2022 Fusion Art "Skies Competition" Best in Show, Fusion Arts, Santa Fe NM
2020 Artsy Shark Featured Artist https://www.artsyshark.com/category/featured-artists/page/3/
2020 "Open Season" Exhibition, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota FL
2020 "Big Show" Exhibition, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota FL
2020 Artist Spotlight "Traditional" Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs CA
2019 Featured Artist for November, Towles Court Artist Colony, Sarasota FL
2019 Honorable Mention "Petals and Leaves" Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs CA
2019 "New Views" Exhibition, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota FL
2018 Westward Gallery, Denver CO
2018 Stapleton Open Studios, Denver CO
2018 "Petals & Leaves" Best in Show, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs CA
2018 Fourth Place, 3rd Annual Waterscapes Art Exhibition. Palm Springs CA
2017 "Seasons" Best in Show, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs CA
2017 Stapleton Open Studios, Denver CO
2017 Wings Over The Rockies Art Show, Denver
2017 Frame by Frame Gallery Featured Artist, Denver CO
2016 Stapleton Open Studios Tour
2016 Fusion Art Gallery "Waterscapes" Competition - Second Place/Traditional
2016 Colors of Humanity "RED Show"
2016 Denver Hospice Mask Project
2014 Center of Attention: KDVR FOX31 Artist of the week Good Day Colorado : 12/15-12/19/14
Link Here: http://youtu.be/-ktbD_bnX8k
2014 Denver Hospice Mask Project
2014 Clothes to Kids Exhibition and Benefit
2011 Gardenscapes Exhibition Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce
2011 DYAO Painted Violin Exhibition and Benefit
2010 Artist of the Month-January- Denverartists.com
2008 Hunter's artwork featured in Kar Wei Wong film 'Blueberry Nights'
2007 Artist's Magazine Student Still Life Competition - Second Place Cash Award
2007 Kaladi's Halloween Show - Best in Show
2007 Mountain Connection Magazine Cover Competition - Honorable Mention
2007 Himme Productions National Greeting Card Competition - Honorable Mention
Statement
In my work, I reveal the wonder of the hidden world around us. I focus on the geometry of the composition; the way the elements are arranged on the canvas, and sometimes find that this becomes more important than the actual subject matter. My work embraces an admiration of simplicity and evokes a contemplative and peaceful place. My paintings are created with multiple layers of transparent glazes as well as opaque application. Each layer affects the next, creating an arresting depth of field. I am largely self taught as a fine artist. I have an innate sense of composition that aligns with my background in graphic design, contributing to an overall illustrative impact. I am intrigued by mystery and capture this in everything I paint. My subject matter varies, but I invite the viewer to interpret a hidden element, which can be literal or thematic.
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