ONE VISION is expressed through my art, yet a common reaction to my work is that it looks as if it has been done by different individuals.  The subjects, the media, the style and techniques, the palette, textures and dimensions all vary.  The art is representational, yet with a sense of exploration, invention, and surprise.

This multimedia, eclectic approach probably has its roots in my growing up in a small Midwest town, the oldest of nine children in a struggling family.  Art supplies, training and encouragement (except for my art teacher) were non-existent.  But perhaps these obstacles made me resourceful and brought out my inventiveness.

As a young child I remember taking my mother’s brown paper grocery bags, cutting them open and laying them flat on the floor to have drawing paper.  I drew with charred sticks from the fire, with rocks smeared with mud, or feathers dipped in my grandmother’s chili sauce.  I told myself:  “Look around — You’ll find what you need.”

Although conventional art materials were scarce, inspiration was everywhere:  my grandmother’s canning jars of glowing tomatoes and peppers, the swampy Laguna next to the Mississippi River, the annual rodeo and fiesta, the white horses in the neighbor’s field, and the extreme Iowa weather…  all nurtured me.

Championed by my Fort Madison High School art teacher, Mrs. Lorraine Lowenberg, I received a scholarship from the local Jaycees, and one from the LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) Club.  I went on to graduate from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.  While attending the Art Institute of Chicago, I was called to duty, went to Vietnam and ended up serving as a combat artist with the Department of Military History on Combat Art Team I.  Afterwards I was stationed at Fort Lewis, and the beauty of the Northwest kept me here.

I continue to be inspired by the events in my personal life:  my family, occasional travels, and all that the beautiful Seattle and Northwest area have to offer:   Green Lake and other landscapes, portraits, still life, and collage in various media.  I especially enjoy painting outdoors, and creating with the opportunities of snow, rain, or night.

I think of my work as a diary of my encounters.  I think of Encounter Art as having no pre-determined style or voice imposed on the inspiration of the moment.  I look forward to the surprise.