I’ve been an art student all my life. I grew up in Granite Falls, and moved to Chicago and worked in factories for over twenty years. I was never fully satisfied with factory work, and took part time classes for art at different suburban colleges.
All this changed when I attended the American Academy of Art in downtown Chicago. Their teaching and classes changed my life. Their motto was "Draw, draw, draw, and when you're tired of that, draw some more!" I did not graduate, but I did learn a very good lesson in self-discipline.
I moved back to Granite Falls in 2002. I was lucky enough to find a beautiful old building to convert into my home and studio. It had been the Senior Center for thirty years, and before that the Public Library. The building was originally an Episcopal church built in 1889.
I became a graphic artist for Jim's Clothing in Dawson. I met Andy Kahmann at A to Z Letterpress in Montevideo shortly thereafter. He introduced me to linoleum block carving, and printmaking. With my knowledge of screen printing, linoleum block carving fit well with my style of artwork. Andy and I have created a calendar together since 2008. I was also the very first featured artist for Meander, in 2004. Andy and I also collaborated on the first poster for the Meander Art Crawl.
Everything seems to have come around full circle. I am now the one teaching classes for printmaking and watercolors. But I still feel like a student. When you live as an artist, you are always studying the world around you, and trying to interpret what you see. I also believe that you learn as much from your students, as they do from you. Hopefully, I can continue learning and teaching, for many more years to come.