I live in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania U.S.A.
I mostly do my art these days. I draw and paint art portraits professionally online which I started in 2007. I also teach art at the nearby Pennsylvania State University which I've been doing since '94. Plus I show my art in pencil, watercolor and oil paint at Galleries. That is if I am not making dinner or a hamster cage. While my wife works as middle-school counselor, I'm also the stay-at-home dad for my three boys!
I'm not art educated. Instead I have a Bachelor's in English and a Master's in Psychology. And before art, I was a business owner. As for my art ability, I got a great start from my High School teacher. He taught me how to use different media which I quickly aimed at capturing nature, drawing my first pencil portrait from a photo, and painting my first watercolor painting from a calendar. Nowadays I've been learning to use pencil and watercolor to capture faces. It's not always easy. Each portrait turns out to be an education . . . and a pleasure.
I try to make a striking resemblance in my portraits. But I try not to make them look smooth and blended like a photo. I feel if I wanted a photo, then I should use a camera! Instead I strive to make them rough especially toward the edges of the paper. I do this on one hand because I like the look of the pencil marks and brush strokes. And I do it on the other hand for the challenge. Since my style comes from putting the marks on the paper quickly with few revisions,
this makes being accurate difficult―yet fun! The eyes are the only exception. I smooth and blend the eyes, and often the immediate area around the eyes to look photographic hoping the contrast will draw your attention. To me the eyes are where the resemblance is.
