My parents always encouraged my art . After graduating high school , I attended Spokane Falls Community College ’ s three-year art program , receiving an associate degree in both Fine Art and Advertising Art . Those three years exposed to me to a wide variety of art classes and talented instructors . Some of my best years in life were spent there , creating a new world for me to fit into . In my second year , I met my art school sweetheart , Lynda , who was also going through the program . We got married two years later .
artist ’ s studio . Dad befriended several Japanese artists , commissioning them to replicate various paintings . He admired the work of old masters as well and invested in reproducing some ; one painting commissioned was “ The Milkmaid ” by Vermeer , which I now have . Not sure about copyright laws , but these paintings were my first exposure to art .
Like most kids , I loved to scribble and draw and spent time on the likes of Speed Racer , Johnny Quest , Godzilla , Mt . Fuji , cherry trees in bloom , pagodas , the Great Buddha , oxen plowing rice paddy fields , tons of animals , Dr . Seuss characters , Norman Rockwell images , and anything Disney . My parents quickly observed my passion for art and enrolled me in oil painting lessons at age seven . I still have my first three paintings , a cat , a dog , and a horse . Animals continue to be my favorite subject matter .
I ’ m drawn to artists who paint in a realistic narrative surrealism genre . My biggest inspiration comes from artist Mark Ryden . He is extraordinary , a phenom , a modern-day master , and in a category all his own . Ryden ’ s talent is so superb it could stop me from painting .
I was hired straight away from the graduating portfolio show by a local top notch graphic designer named John Smith . Loved my job . My first assignment was a full color illustration for the menu cover of a new restaurant in town called Cyrus O ’ Leary ’ s . I painted in the style of Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha . The menu was a hit and was kept on the cover for over 20 years . Later I moved to another stellar design studio , Crabtree-Voiland . They spoiled me with respect , fun work , good pay , and a full-time supply of shenanigans . I continued illustrating and designing while they taught me how to silkscreen . I later grew tired of graphic design . Too many words , not enough illustration .
I began freelancing for The Crescent , a large department store in downtown Spokane . This allowed me to work from home with Lynda who did fashion illustrations for the store . I drew every product under the sun using pen and ink washes for their newspaper advertisements . I was later moved up to the advertising department full time to do their illustrations for the next two years . I moved back home and built a large studio in our back yard to design and silkscreen posters for the Crescent ’ s display department .
Lynda and I were both working from home for the same employer , knowing our time was limited . Years later The Crescent was sold to Frederick and Nelson and the advertising was moved to New York . Our gig was up . Lynda and I packed up our stuff that summer , had a huge yard sale , sold the house , and moved to Seattle in 1988 .
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