BFA, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY, 1977

MFA, NORTH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, 1980

POST-GRAD: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

ON TEACHING

I teach my students to:

1) perceive the visible world without preconceived ideas.

2) design with emphasis on selectivity of form and space according to
intent.

3) reach within in order to achieve uniqueness of content.

4) experiment with media as a way to express chosen content and as a
means to generate content.

5) be well read and aware of contemporary trends and issues in art.

6) maintain an open attitude about what art can be

7) develop self-confidence and an attitude of constructive competitiveness
in order to become increasingly independent.

SUBJECTS TAUGHT:

Painting, Drawing, Computer Graphics, Art History

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Narrative content, text, symbolism (particularly animal as metaphor), and representation are repetitive elements in my work. Sources for content include dreams, folklore, modern cinema, psychology, archeology, mysticism, comparative religion, autobiography and the philosophical suggestions of modern science.

Since 1995, I have used both text and animal metaphor to show epiphany, paradox, duality, connection and conflict that I feel or observe in the world and in my dreams. By means of oil on paper or canvas, pencil, or digital photo-montage, I rely heavily on intuition to guide choice and juxtaposition of images. Text, title or verbal explanation are most often conceived after images are arranged. Examples of reoccurring dialectica in the newer work include ecological issues, war and peace, body and spirit, cerebral and emotional, external and internal, freedom and bondage, love and separation, and a reprise of death and rebirth. I value an emotional (non-verbal) connection between artwork and viewer more than a definable one.