Miscellaneous

What influenced me to become an artist? Well, many things - things I am aware of and things I am not. Was it pondering my grandfather’s watercolor paintings as a child, or watching the awesome power of nature in numerous southern thunderstorms? Or maybe it was that art history survey course in college? Or maybe it was learning the art of lighting design for dance? All of these things and more have influenced me as an artist. Allowing the artist in me to emerge was a little like.....well, what it must be like for a catepillar becoming a butterfly. I started with lighting design for dance, and then moved on to technical theater - bringing to life the artistic designs of set designers. At the Julliard School, a lonely woodworking lathe enticed me to explore wood and its inherent beauty. Woodturning was the key that unlocked the sculptural artist inside me. Mastering woodturning techniques, left me craving more, wanting to push limits, expectations and myself. Slowly, all the influences began to converge - metal working, woodturning, painting, lighting, family history - and I finally found myself to be ... an artist.