I was born November 5th, 1973 in Newport Beach, California. Though living no further than five minutes from a hospital in Huntington Beach, my mother felt it necessary to give birth in the newer, state of the art Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach. That bit of information is of no real importance. Its just something I have always thought amusing. With that being said, Huntington Beach is my home and I have lived here all but 4 years of my life.

My love to create would start at a very young age. I would spend hours with a box of crayons and a pad of paper. It was an escape. My place to dream. Anything and everything was possible. There was no right or wrong. When I was drawing, if I could think it, I could draw it. Something that did not exist before, there on the paper, I could make it real.

My art skills as a child were no better than any other child. My drawings consisted of the same circle heads and stick bodies that were found in other children's drawings. Mine were maybe just a bit more fantastical.

When everyone in class was drawing horses, I would add to mine; jet rockets a cape and roller skates, so he would be sure to beat, in a race, any horse that the other children could draw. The typical St. Patrick's Day picture of a leprechaun standing with his pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, well my leprechaun had to hold a bloody dagger so not only would you know that he was guarding his gold but had defended it, recently.

Art continued to play a big part in my childhood but it wasn't until an art class in high school that I really thought of art as anything more than a hobby. My teacher, Jerry Nicholson, a life long California style watercolor artist, opened my eyes to a world of opportunities I never knew existed. He showed me art and design is all around us. It is used in everything we see and use. It was something I never thought of, or considered. My mind exploded with possibilities. Of all the art based skills and knowledge I acquired under his tutelage, a clever bit of philosophy was probably the greatest memory I have kept. "Quality comes with quantity". A concept I didn't comprehend until much much later.

I spent a number of years in the art program at Orange Coast College and California State University at Fullerton and would graduate with a Bachelors of Art in art. My time spent in college was bitter sweet. I began to tire of the monotony of the academic approach towards art. I found it crippling creatively. At the same time I met a number of artists whose work, passion and artistic integrity would stay with me as inspiration to this day.

After college, I worked as an architectural Illustrator. It was a job I truly enjoyed. I was working side by side with Adrianne, my fiancé, drawing and painting daily. What could be better? Knowing everyday, when I arrived at work, I would be painting in watercolor or acrylics or doing some ink work, it did not feel like work at all. It was the perfect job. Perfect right up until the company switched from traditional methods to the computer. It broke my heart. I loved working on the computer but it did not fill me with the same sense of joy or satisfaction. The fun artist friendly environment changed to a very cold sterile unwelcoming hole. Adrianne, now my wife, and I decided it was time to move on.

Escaping the growing grasp the computer had on the arts was seemingly impossible. It had become my main medium and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. I worked for a while as a freelance graphic designer and later purchased a plotter cutter to add banners, decals and other signage to my list of services and went into business for myself. I had big aspirations but my lack of business knowledge and my introverted nature made managing a business and handling sales a tough going. Not one to give up easily I found it very hard to let the business go. I fought it much longer than I should have.

Though traditional art had taken a back seat for me over the years it was something I would keep as a hobby. Just as when I was a child, it was my escape. My time to get away from everything. But as life goes, it wasn't always easy to find time for an escape.

In 2005, my wife and I, as a way to spend more time with each other, started a collaborative watercolor series, The sights and culture of Huntington Beach. It was an amazing feeling painting with my wife again. Something we rarely did since our days as architectural illustrators. A fulfilling experience but one that was short lived. She spent the next two years "with child". Since some paints can contain unhealthy fumes or pigments, she was sidelined from painting for the better part of two years while expecting.

The experience did however fill me with a new drive and passion for traditional art. Drawing inspiration from my environment, I have been focused on the sport of surfing, surf culture and the wonderful world of Tiki Art and decor. My daughters now 3 and 2 years of age have reintroduced me to Tempera and collage. Fantastic mediums lost to me over the years. These experiences have been very gratifying.

It has been an exciting time of discovery and rediscovery for me and I am looking forward to sharing this continuing journey with my family, friends and anyone interested in seeing where this adventure may lead. Remember, Its not about the destination. Its about the journey. I hope you will come along.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little. I hope you enjoy my paintings as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

Las Crusas, New Mexico, the year, 1972, in the maddening heat of July, I was birthed.

Before I was old enough to enroll in school my family moved to El Paso, Texas; this would be the place I would discover my love for art. My sister and I joined an art class taught near our home that would open my eyes to the beauty of the desert and architecture. Our open air outings to study and draw the old adobe structures were a favorite of mine and I could have spent all day drawing and painting the adobe and desert scenes, but the outings were often ended by afternoon thunder storms.

The years passed and while I was in high school, we moved again. Finding ourselves in Colorado, my mother and I start designing and selling Holiday greetings cards. This was a project that kept the creative fire burning while putting a little cash in my pocket.

As graduation grew closer I focused more on potential occupations and less on art. I was good in math and had an appreciation for architecture and loved to draw, architect seemed to be the way to go. In college I followed the path to what I thought would be an open and creative life as an architect. Things are not always as they seem. I would jump boat and find hope in a B.F.A. focusing in both graphic design and illustration.

An internship in college would turn into a job as an architectural illustrator. Though a very enjoyable job I would eventually leave because of changes to the industry and for higher pay.

A few years ago, as a way to spend more time with my husband, we started a watercolor series, a Huntington Beach Cultural Series. Our outings to the beach, pier and city walks always inspire me to recreate the fun city scenes.