2002 – B.F.A. from Gustavus Adoplus College – Studio Art Major, Minor in Art History
2002 – Group show at Hillstrom Museum of Art 

I discovered oil pastels during my senior year of college and have continued to work with them still.  I wanted to get into color without picking up a brush and this seemed the best way with how bright and energetic oil pastels can be.  Since 2003 I have created and sold many pieces of my work as well as paint wall murals for different establishments.  At this time I am working on the walls of a hair salon called Hairtopia.  I also have a painting on display at a Tiffany & Co. store in Minnesota.

In the fall of 2003 I was fortunate enough to tour much of Europe for the duration of three months.  Over these months I was able to experience and study much of the classical paintings, sculptures, and architecture that I had studied in college.  Upon returning to States I continued to create several images with many different mediums to build up my portfolio.

At the present moment I am gathering up all my work that has accumulated from the past couple years in hopes of entering a few shows.  I feel it is time to let my work out to be seen by the public and get some feedback at the same time.  As I am working on the galleries, I am also trying to get a website together.  I like working with mixed ideas of my life, music, movies, and other’s art while trying to incorporate different symbols, numbers, and themes.

As for how I discovered oil pastels, I had used regular pastels and was left unfulfilled with the lack of brightness that they created.   It was during my senior year in an independent study class that I fueled by adding color to my work.  I wanted the look of an on oil painting without the brushes and plethora of mediums.  It wasn’t until I was walking through the local art store that I discovered the medium of oil pastels.  I was filled with curiosity as I held these magical sticks of pure pigment.  I then noticed that there were also metallic and florescent sticks that could be used.  As to my delight, this wonderful company of Caran d’Ache Neopastels just so happened to be on sale that day.  I grabbed the largest pack, being of 24, that I could find and headed to the checkout counter with the thought of fate following right behind me.  I went home and started creating images that were made with charcoal with vivid dashes of oil pastels.  The thought of filling an entire piece with these magical sticks excited me and at the same time, frightened me.  What if I had use entire sticks on one piece?  Could I sacrifice members of the great 24 for an image that I just had an urge to create?  It was at this point, a patron of the arts approached me for a commission that proves to be my greatest achievement thus far.  Reid’s City was born over the next six months and I still had all the members of the 24 alive, but tired.  Since then I have no fear of losing a member of the 24.  They would have wanted it that way.