I've never really thought of myself as a painter.  In my mind, painters were top-tier.  The real deal.  I read about those cats in art history.  Well...I looked at the pictures and kind of paid attention during art history.  They scheduled art history during nap time in college.  I had a tough time staying awake and focusing.   I eventually graduated with my BFA from Midwestern State University in 2001.  Actually, my emphasis was in photography.  I fell in love with the dark room.  The smells, the red lights, the magic of seeing an image appear.  Wow.  Definitely a lost art and experience today.  I always enjoyed the ability to capture a specific moment and be able to hold on to it.

Anyway...not a painter.  I didn't really paint much until I started teaching.  I can draw.  I actually worked a lot with chalk pastels after college.  I used to draw superheroes, baseball players, and characters from TV that I liked.  I had a mentor teacher at Old High that encouraged me to explore painting when I first started teaching.  He was amazing, and I owe him a tremendous amount for sharing his lifetime of wisdom with me.

I enjoy painting portraits of people that are important to me in some way.  Some of my subjects are connected to me through some happy memory or specific time.  Almost all of the paintings that I create, I see them as part of 'my collection.'  I create them because I like them.  I don't necessarily make them with any intent of selling them.  I do tend to get lost a bit within a painting.  

I do think that there is a connection between taking photographs of people and painting pictures of people.  Maybe it's all about capturing that moment.  Capturing that look.  Capturing that instance of that feeling and holding on to it.

Mostly, I work in acrylic paint.  I have made a few images with oil paint, and a few with oil pastels, some pencils, some watercolors.  There are even a couple of prints that will show up in the galleries.

These galleries are in no particular order.  Some of the paintings are from years ago when I began painting.  Some of these are from last week.   I think it's cool to see my progression and evolution in my work.  I am trying to put some dates on the images here.

Some of these paintings were done as commission pieces or I have sold or traded away. A few of them, I haven't seen in years.  Some of them were involved in donation exhibitions.  Some of them...I gave away to friends, family, or coworkers.  

 I paint them because I enjoy it.  I take photographs of my work so I can remember them.   

Wichita Fall Living Winter 26