Being creative is extremely important to me. It’s my passion, my life’s work and how I contribute to my community. I like to make art that inspires others without having a specific or direct message. The images, subject matters and narratives in my art (family, music, pottery, agriculture and love) are based on my tastes and my experiences. They reflect my point of view of the world as a stay at home father of two and a part-time farmer. I have also struggled with the written language and academics due to dyslexia (a learning disability). My hope is that my work makes people feel something that inspires them to create their own point of view.

For many years I made cubist, geometric paintings with oil and acrylic on stretched canvas. I have recently begun to focus on creating art quilts out of used clothing. I have begun to combine painting and quilting by experimenting with needle felting wool into raw canvas and sewing and quilting raw canvas before applying paint. I have also been collaborating with blacksmiths in my community to design decorative iron rods to hang my quilts and paintings.

I also play music on a regular basis. I play the string bass and perform traditional American music and original music composed by other singer songwriters with whom I play. I participate in up to 50 performances a year with dozens of different groups and feel lucky to have forged strong relationships with many Alaskan musicians.