 | I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 and a Master of Education degree in 1975. At that point I pursued a career in public education. Although I always had a strong interest in the arts; I didn't seriously pursue that interest until 1980. I have been painting in the sumi-e style since 1980, began doing gyotaku prints in 1982, and decided to pursue my art as a full time occupation in 1993. My philosophical statement follows. |
In the early 80's I studied sumi-e painting and gyotaku printmaking. The study of these two Oriental art forms has influenced the character of my artwork; just as all aspects of my life conspire to the final outcome of my artistic expression. My love of the natural world, as well as attachments to the past, can be seen in my work. I grew up in a small rural community; at a time when self reliance was still revered. Craftsmanship was held in high esteem and frugality was the order of the day. Those are things that influenced my pursuit of the simplicity of sumi-e; and those influences can be seen in my unique application of the tools and techniques of that discipline. A natural extension of that was my pursuit of nature printing (including gyotaku) a couple of years later.One of the things that initially attracted me to the sumi-e style is the fact that you can still see the paper. It isn’t virtually covered up as with other water media styles. This quality lends itself to the use of very unique papers. After several years of using imported papers I began to make my own. Now all of my paintings are done on my own hand made paper. This means the hand of the artist is all the more evident in my work. [Go to my hmp page for more information.]
By presenting this web site I hope to broaden my audience and further educate potential patrons to the elegant simplicity of sumi-e style brushwork; as well as the intricate complexities of crafting one’s own support for that brushwork in the form of hand made paper. Additionally; to create an appreciation of the surprising difficulties inherent in gyotaku printmaking.
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When I discovered gyotaku print making, it seemed a natural fit with my sumi-e painting style, and my enjoyment of fishing. While my wife and I generally practice catch and release fishing; we occasionally keep a fish to immortalize it on paper as a gyotaku print. I encourage people to purchase my gyotaku reproductions as a matter of conservation; since there is a limit to the number of originals I can get from a fish.I am lucky to have an understanding wife who encourages my artistic endeavors wholeheartedly. I also get encouragement from other artists in the local associations I belong to; including being voted the Artist-of-the-Year by the Manchester (NH) Artists' Association in June 1992. I have garnered numerous awards in the couple of judged shows I do each year. You can see one of my award winning pieces by clicking here.
I have done sumi-e/gyotaku demonstrations for numerous organizations; including the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College. I filmed a segment on gyotaku print making for Martha Stewart Living TV studios (It was taped Aug. 15, 2002 and first aired on Oct. 8, 2002. It re-aired January and August 2003, and yet again August 2004). You can see a photograph of the filming at the MSL web site.
People often remark on my unusual treatment of subject matter: from brief delicate depictions of nature to dramatic bold fish prints. Others say that my degrees in sociology and counseling are evident in the feeling of peacefulness that pervades my work.
When I decided to pursue my art full time in 1993; it was obvious that I needed to broaden my market. The choice seemed to be between doing more shows further from home, or hand crafting new supports for my work.
So... in addition to offering matted/framed paintings and prints; I decided to include my designs as hand crafted paper jewelry, which is now available in fine craft & museum shops from Maine to Florida to California. I also have several designs available as reasonably priced reproduction prints. In February 2005 I released a hand crafted book on gyotaku printmaking incorporating my hand made paper on the cover. You can read more about it here.
My jewelry and prints have taken me beyond the art show to fine gift shops, craft galleries and museum shops. A list of some of those locations can be found on my gallery page.
