Artist Statement
They are people who are to most of us, invisible. They are the homeless. I have focused my art on capturing the incredible character that life on the streets has given these individuals, many of whom are from my neighborhood near downtown San Diego. A character that is hard earned through sometimes many years of life on the streets and the daily struggle for survival that that may bring.
Nobility, beauty, strength, vulnerability, they are there if we only look. The next time that you pass someone sleeping in the street. I hope you will realize that as a child, this is probably not the life that they had dreamed of leading. Each has a family, friends and a story of why they are where they are.
By presenting these faces on a large scale we are forced to confront them and the situation that so many like them find themselves.
Children who are without parents or role models are at most risk of being on the streets. As a human being I can’t help but feel compassion for these individuals and by presenting them in this large format perhaps it will bring them into focus. Making them visible.
Bio
Being an artist is as much about ‘who you are’ as it is about ‘what you do’. I have been an artist all of my life. It is the only career I’ve had, the only life I have had. Making art, studying art or teaching art. Most of my work deals with the human figure in some way, and the human condition. It has been shown throughout the United States and inter-
nationally in numerous group and solo exhibitions. I teach art San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University and several art schools in San Diego.
After I attended San Diego State where I studied painting and print making I was given a full scholaship to attend Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where I graduated with distinction. I was honored to be the first graduate to give a speech at a graduation ceremony. Art Center changed my life by giving me focus and purpose, and the skills to share them.
I moved to the New York City area where I lived and began my career. I was there five years then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for a year before moving back to San Diego which has been home ever since.
Growing up I was fascinated by watching my father draw and paint. He had graduated from college with a degree in architecture but was called to duty in World War ll so he never practiced. He had incredible artistic skills. As a kid I lived in Europe, Asia and several places in the U.S. I sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. My father constantly exposed my brothers and I to the art and culture of each place we lived and visited. I’m sure this forged an early appreciation for art and an open heart to cultures and people.