Welcome to my website. As you can see I am both a painter and photographer.
After serving my country in the Air Force, I decided to go to college. In my third year at Clemson I started taking art classes. I knew then that I wanted to become a painter, so I dropped everything and took only art classes. Clemson at that time did not have an art major, the art classes they offered were only in support of the architecture school. I finished that year of school and went back to work. Several years later I enrolled in art school at East Carolina University where I majored in Drawing and Painting, earning a BFA. One of my professors, Edward Reep encouraged me to move to New York City to study the work of the Impressionist. I did and it changed my artistic direction. After a year, I went back to East Carolina and earned a MA in Painting, This is when I starting painting in the open air.
My open air paintings are painted using oils on either gessoed paper or canvas. After selecting a scene to paint, I return at the same time, day after day (weather permitting) until the painting is finished. I like creating a sense of depth where the viewer can feel as if they step into the painting, with a natural look of color, and light that reflects the time of day. I use a lot of heavy brush strokes with thick paint, which makes the painting very textural.
Because of work and life, I have been painting more in my studio. These paintings seem to be more realistic than my open air work which appears more impressionistic. But they still have a good sense of depth, natural color and light.
While teaching digital photography at Erskine College and Lander University, I grew to really love the art of Photography. Where ever my wife and I travel, I am there taking pictures.