I can still vividly remember the sights and sounds of sitting in elementary school class in the early 1960’s. Those memories become even more vivid any time I come across old school maps, science charts, or those big old flash cards the teachers would show you that helped you with math, or with brushing your teeth, or that Lincoln was a president. The air in those classrooms was filled with a sort of electricity, an excitement cued by such visuals and words, so that all you had to do was grab your sack lunch, your five senses, and keep your mind wide open for the adventure ahead. Being raised by an elementary school principal and an elementary school librarian, and having to sit in the library after school till my mom could go home, more than likely put an exclamation mark to these memories. They play a large part in my visual vocabulary today. I have been told that my art is musical and that my music is visual, which makes me smile because my art and my music are indeed intertwined. They are one and the same when it comes to my self-expression.

     A strong focus to my life became clear when I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time in the late 1970s. It was then I became involved in the beginnings of the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement here in the United States. Because of that hands-on involvement, I have seen the truth in the statement: “You never know when and where you are going to influence someone and for that matter you may never know.” That truth for me is uplifting, frightening, and captivating. There are countless stories and examples that can be defined as a historical or a pivotal point in time where people made their own personal commitment from their heart and soul without any thought of fame or money. That realization has had a profound impact on my life, my self-expression, and on the way I want to “walk my walk.”

     I paint images of such people as John Coltrane, Rosa Parks, Lou Gehrig whose pivotal moment has so profoundly so affected many people that they have become icons. I also paint lesser known individuals, such as civil rights protectors The Deacons Of Self Defense, Appalachian ballad singer Alma Riddle, and Irish fiddler Jr. Crehan with the goal of enlightening and inspiring the viewer. The images I paint are often accompanied by brief narrative text or quotation imbedded into overall composition of the work. I think by representing everyday people , famous or not, who were involved in social change, music, art, and just life, I just might plant that same seed in someone else and show them that we are all indeed making history.

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