Artist Statement

As a young child in the early 70’s my favorite thing to do was taking art classes at the Toledo Museum of Art on the weekends. This experience encouraged me to pursue my passion for art and therefore, I attended the Colorado Institute of Art. Stone sculpting came into my life by chance. One day in the mid 90s I stopped to remove a large piece of sandstone from the road after a heavy Colorado rain. As I picked the sandstone up and felt the weight and texture — I had a vision of a sculpture. I had never done a stone sculpture, so my knowledge of tools and technique were minimal. However, I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I sat down with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer, and created my version of Mesa Verde — a place I had visited many times and have a great love for. I took the sculpture to a gallery in Woodland Park, CO and a few days later it had sold. I knew sculpture was something I wanted to learn more about so I went to Cortez, CO and Sante Fe, NM where I spent time observing and learning more about techniques, tools and stones.

My stone sculptures are a representation of life experiences, nature and are often influenced by the desert southwest. Sometimes my vision for the sculpture is clear when I first look at a stone like with Mesa Verde, but other times the stone leads me and the sculpture emerges as I go. I have been continuously exploring new techniques and stones in my sculptures throughout my career and was able to share my knowledge and passion when I was a stone sculpting instructor at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, CO.

You can find my work on display at Hudson Gallery in Sylvania, Ohio and I generally attend a few art shows per year, including the Crosby Festival of the Arts at the Toledo Botanical gardens located in Toledo, Ohio. I have been recognized at the Crosby show with the following awards:

• 2023 second place finish in the sculpture category
• 2022 first place finish in the sculpture category
• 2021 third place finish in the sculpture category

In addition to stone sculpting I am a painter and avid photographer. I’ve had a photograph selected by the Smithsonian Magazine in an Americana category, that was also featured on a related Smithsonian TV show. I now live in Dexter, MI after recently relocating from Upstate NY with my wife Janay and two dogs Rango and Cooper.

Read more about my story in this Voyage Michigan article.