I was an officer in the U.S. Navy for 22 years, but I have always been an artist. After I retired from the Navy, my wife and I came to the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. I returned to school and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a concentration in painting, from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Following graduation in 2003, I became a full-time artist with a studio in the River Arts District. My paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries across the country's eastern half, and I've had multiple solo exhibits in universities and art spaces in North Carolina and Tennessee.
In 2008, I answered a call and went to Iraq for 18 months with the State Department to manage reconstruction programs around the country. That was followed by a year in Afghanistan, helping local officials, businessmen, and others better manage their government and economy. I returned home in 2012 and my wife won't let me go to war zones anymore.
My studio is in a former textile mill next to the historic French Broad River just north of Asheville. I'm always working on something new - currently a series of figures in charcoal and pastels, but also with new techniques in oils. My paintings have won recognition and awards in national and regional exhibitions. The Smithsonian Museum of American History has my "Faces of Afghanistan" drawings (over 80 drawings, mostly portraits of rural Afghans done from life) in their permanent collection. In addition to making my artwork, I teach workshops and mentor young students.
