I'm on a journey into the mysteries of art as a life expression-as a path or way of life.

I would hope that my viewers question why I've created something, and at the same time are pulled into this universe I've made which, in a certain way, is as "real" as the reality we sense. I believe the use of color and various organic shapes can affect a conscious and positive change in individuals: "Color is stronger than language. It's a subliminal communication" (Louise Bourgeois M.L. Bernadac, p. 175). I would like an audience to be enveloped within the colors, shapes, and textures of my art and sense the various symbols within the pieces and experience them. For me art should be a total experience involving the mind, body, emotions, and spirit of the individual.

My experiences in art were early on inspired by Paleolithic art, comic books, Picasso, Gauguin, Yves Klein, Joan Mitchell, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois, Rothko, Eva Hesse, as well as surrealism--to name a few influences. At San Jose State University (SJSU), I was very influenced by Willis Nelson, a terrific artist, sculptor, and Art Professor, who always inspired and encouraged me and pushed me. Long after I graduated, Willis would drop by my studio and give me an impromptu critique—always highly insightful. Also, for many years I shared studio space with glass artist Tom Stanton—who had also studied with Willis Nelson. Tom was another positive early influence on my development as an artist, and I learned to work in glass from him.

I've also been influenced by exploring caves. Looking at all the incredible living "sculptures," with myriad colors and textures that nature has produced is compelling and fascinating. That is why Paleolithic images speak to me as a living body of art. As Francis Bacon said, "I think they [cave people] were drawing out objects that they liked, either because they wanted to see them again or drew them from the point of view of magic."(Gilded Gutter Life Daniel Farson p. 108).

Another influence on my artwork is the Japanese martial art of aikido created by Grand Master Morihei Ueshiba, O-Sensei, supreme martial artist, visionary, and mystic. My aikido training with Robert Nadeau-shihan, Jack Wada-sensei, and Nobuyoshi Tamura-shihan has profoundly impacted my artwork and my life in immeasurable ways.

The Process of Creating My Work

After years of working in mixed media drawings, paintings, and in glass, in 1989 I had a dream in which I saw over 200 images flashing like slides—or a PowerPoint Presentation—across my dreaming memory. When I woke up, I painted the first one I could remember and have continued to paint what I experienced. So I find the tradition in tribal cultures of paying attention to one's dreams has been incredibly important for me.

I'm also constantly reworking shapes, symbols, or totemic animals which I've explored over the years in my art. These are usually shapes and forms I've observed hiking through the woods or exploring caverns, or animal archetypes that hold significance for me such as crows, bees, and felines. Furthermore, when I enter my studio, I always do aikido and breathing exercises to set the atmosphere for creating. That is why, for me, it is critical to link art both to traditional forms, such as drawing, as well as newer, innovative methods of creating art.

I believe art making is a transformative process which allows the individual to transform base visions into vital energy needed for the rebalancing of ourselves, our consciousness, and our world.

Turning Point