My Unconventional History in Art

As a child I received attention from my art, this is probably the underlying reason I am driven to create art. I placed (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in every competition I entered. Some notable examples.

Houston Lighting & Power, city wide competition, 3rd place.

Kellogg's cereal, national competition, ‘win a Schwinn 10 speed bicycle’ I won a bike.

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, 1st place (in my grade) I got a ribbon. Now they get college scholarships.

I excelled in drafting and considered becoming an architect, then AutoCAD emerged and took the art out of the occupation.

Almost directly out of high school, I acquired a job (by God's grace) as a commercial artist at Custom Art Multimedia (Houston) under Pat Dudley Roberts. I couldn’t believe I was actually getting paid to do this. We produced large corporate statement pieces, for about 5 years, then he passed away. Here is a small sample of some surviving photographs.

Willowisp exterior logo 8' x 8'

Went to work for another artist who specialized in large, deep etched glass work. Coffee tables, glass fireplace screens, glass doors, life sized Bengal tiger. Below is one of six different beveled mirrors for the Houston Medical Center, Hilton ball room. These are etched from the back in two different depths and painted with an automotive gold flake paint.

The commercial art business was slowing down, I wanted to stay in the art field. I started working in the picture framing industry. I could meet interior designers and pickup freelance work and sell my paintings through the frame shop. And I did. In this industry the Certified Picture Framer designation was a pretty big deal, so I was certified by the Professional Picture Framer Association. Below are some examples of freelance projects out of the frame shop.

I set up a largeish studio in a business park in Spring Branch, Houston. It was a very productive atmosphere, and it turns out, with my friends it was the place to be. It burned down. My entire life of art was destroyed, it was devastating. That put a stop to the momentum I had been building for years.

I continued in framing, working for a world-renowned fine art gallery in Houston for ten years.

I have all ways admired abstract art, the raw and effortlessly brilliant style. A lot of people do not appreciate it. "Was that painted by a child." So, I want to completely eliminate that thought. I started painting abstracts in 2016, I became serious in 2020, focusing exclusively on painting a more carefully constructed abstract, and this portfolio is some of what I have come up with so far.

American Heart Association invitation

American Heart Association invitation, technical airbrushing

Two of five pieces, image was a continuation. 4' x 6', in an odd shaped conference room

Natural wood piece for a kitchen

Texas Heart Institute, Houston Medical Center, etched glass wall

Fort Hood National Bank, I also installed some projects.

Fort Hood National Bank, architectural metal logo

Willowisp Country Club, lobby, 8' x 12' mosaic style wood sculpture