When I was in High School, I started taking art classes with an incredible teacher named Pat Abbott. I didn’t know it at the time, but this very special teacher would change my outlook on life and influence the direction of my career. I loved her classes not necessarily because of what I learned, but because I felt like I belonged. Most of my friends were good students, got good grades, and made it all look easy. I was not that guy. I struggled with grades and reading and spent more time cracking jokes and doodling in notebooks than paying attention in class. Maybe that was part of my problem, but looking back, I know I just wasn’t built like that. In fact, I didn’t like school and never planned on going to college.
After high school graduation, I continued working for the construction company that hired me in the summers but after working through the summer and the fall semester, I decided to reconsider the college route. I wanted to be an artist but everyone around me was convinced that art would not pay the bills and I listened. When I finally arrived for the spring semester at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado, I had my sights set on a Construction Management degree. What a disaster.
Right out of the gate, college was just like high school for me except the parties were better which quickly caught up with me. After three semesters, the school decided they’d had enough of my goofing around and dismissed me for my dismal GPA. That’s when everything changed. One of my fraternity brothers was a senior studying graphic design and convinced me that it wasn’t the dead-end road so many others claimed it was.
I successfully petitioned the school to take me back and immediately changed my major to art with a focus on graphic design. In 1990, I graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Most of my professional career has been as an entrepreneur/solopreneur. I’ve built and run several small businesses and spent much of my time as a consultant. Although I’ve worked for a few companies over the years, I like working for myself and creating solutions for clients.
The art I create is the culmination of my experience, education, influences, and love for technology. I hope you enjoy my work!