How long have you been painting?

I have been painting professionally for over 20 years. I began my painting career as a Scenic Artist within the professional theatre community of Minneapolis. These artists translate the plans of the set designer onto the physical scenery through paint and texture. I learned the skills of painting large-scale images through this work. These skills translated really well into murals and I was able to transition my work entirely to murals around 2012.

I appreciated the education I received so much as a Scenic Artist that I helped to found a non-profit organization to serve these artists. Learn about the Guild of Scenic Artists here.

Why do you paint the way you paint?

It turns out I really love color, and when you absolutely saturate fabric with pure pigments you can get some really punchy tones. I’m all about that color impact.

In my fine art paintings, the only preparation the muslin receives is a thin layer of a warm starch mixture to “size” the canvas (tighten the weave so it stretches tightly across the stretcher frame). Starch doesn’t seal the fibers, but instead allows them to continue to reabsorb liquid. Starching provides a surface that can be fully saturated with pigments. Once I get the color field applied to the sized muslin I can add layers of opaque acrylic to create the scene, and provide a nice contrast.

Do you take commissions?

Yes I do, both sized for your wall or wall-sized. (see murals)

Send me a message and let’s discuss!

Do you have another question?

Send me a message to connect.