Evolution

My first memory with art is when I was five years old and I asked my baby sitter how to make the color gray for the elephant in my coloring book, she said,  “mix black and white “.  Wow that captured my attention—manipulating and combining colors to make another color. Of course I had no idea then that art would be my life.

Many years later I found myself drawing a lot.  For me it was something that was mine and the only place that felt my own and coming from a very large family that was important. 

During the later part of my teenage years, I hid the creative part of my life, I was afraid people would associate that (being an artist) with my homosexuality. Where I was from, artists were called sissies and being gay in that environment was bad enough without bringing more attention to it.  However, I kicked the door open and came out of both closets and found myself engaged in art more and more.  I was self-taught and studied as many of the masters as I could, either from pictures of their art or going to galleries. I did not finish high school but in my early 20’s I somehow made my way through JR. College and followed that path which ultimately earned me a Masters in Art....