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Former President of Allied Artists of West Virginia and a member of Oil Painters of America.
1517 Claire St, Charleston, WV 25302. 304-345-3916.
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 Painting in a realist and sometimes nostalgic manner fulfulls my desire to be an artist. I would be not a complete person if I did not paint.
I am a West Virginia native and have lived here most of my life. The lifestyle has had a wonderful effect on my mindset and my art. I am a realist painter primarily in oil paints. My family had several relatives who lived on small farms or in small communities here in West Virginia. Visits to these places of beauty, family, and fun left me with wonderful memories of farm life and the beauty of the landscape. When I was eleven years old I joined the Boy Scouts of America. I thoroughly enjoyed the outdoor experiences of the Scout movement. The scouts were also great for developing young minds.
The three influences that led to my great interest in art were my Dad, the Scouts and Walt Disney. My Dad was not a whittler, he was a fold artist. he could look at something, take a block of wood and a pocket knife and it would become a miniature of his vision. I started to carve and sometimes still do. His belief that a person is only limited in their ability by what they believe they can do has opened my mind to greater belief in myself and what I am able to create.
The Scouts also showed me the outdoors and had a connection with Norman Rockwell. He did some illustrations for Boys Life magazine covers. He also did the cover of the 1959 Boy Scout Handbook which I still have. This led to greater interest in the Saturday Evening Post covers. When TV shows such as Disneyland and those wonderful Disney movies arrived on television, they created a desire in me to be a cartoonist. I never followed that dream. Disney did influence the books I began to read and my interest in art. Johnny Tremain, the movie by Disney, started an interest in the past and the American Revolution that is as strong today as it was in my teenage years. I especially remember Robert Louis Stevenson and Jules Verne for the illustrations in many of their works. Some of the works by Stevenson were illustrated by N.C. Wyeth, but I don't remember who illustrated some of the Verne works. I started to draw constantly and knew that someday I could become an artist.
I am retired now from the State of West Virginia and prior to that I had a background in jewelry sales. My Bachelor of Science is from West Virginia State College. My wife Nancy and I travel frequently to visit our children and grandchildren. I am a member of the Allied Artists of West Virginia and enjoy painting, working, and showing with them. This affiliation has introduced me to many artists and other members of the art community. I recently was accepted into the Oil Painters of America and hope to expand into their regional and national arena.
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