My first studio was carved out of a spare corner in my kid’s basement playroom. It was surrounded by, and often invaded by, toys and books and little hands that bump and smear. It was bursting with creativity and love. Now, I’ve moved into a larger space with less mess but just as much imagination.
My creations are sometimes meaningful, sometimes irrelevant, and sometimes a paradoxical mix of the two. No matter the meaning, they all come from the same chronic urge to create, and they all help bring some little bit of color and fun to the world.
Take a look around. If anything catches your eye, I’d love to hear about it. Some pieces are for sale, some aren’t but can be reproduced, and some can be customized into a new piece just for your tastes. Or, if you’ve got some brand new vision in your head but no idea on how to realize it, I’d be honored and excited to help you pull it out onto canvas or paper.
Fine Art carries exactly as much value as the person viewing it ascribes to it. Some of my paintings come from deep feelings and tender emotions, some come from neat scenic ideas, and some were just mental images that needed to be on canvas simply to get them out of my head. Regardless, they all hold in incredible value in my eye.
Final Boss Diving deep, the mermaid steadied her spear. As the beast's tentacles reached out, she began pumping her tail faster, flying towards her place in the legends.
Cool Bird, Yeah The burden of being so cool would crush a lesser bird, but I suppose you don't get the crown unless you're cool enough to wear it.
Witches Gather The three hadn't seen each other for a long time, but important developments had brought them together again.
City by the Bay The winds crash and the waves howl, yet the buildings pay no mind.
Grand Canyon Gazing over the edge, deep into the depths, the mind scrambles to understand such immensity as your eyes track your car keys bouncing and jingling on down into nothingness.
Beasts in the Trees Crashes and groans erupt as the forest comes to life. As to what form that life takes, few know.
Ghostie City They do not live, but the buildings still contain a soul of some measure that carries on into other worlds.
Galaxy's Edge The energy screamed along the edges wherever the two realities touched, yet for all the noise and lights, the universe took no notice.
Nice Day at the Arctic Beach The polar bears had finally reached the shore, but were dismayed to find they had forgotten to pack towels. How embarrassing.
Another Grand Adventure Sooner or later the balloons would lose their air and the child would fall to the Earth below. She knew this, but she wasn't worried. She was resourceful and had packed a sandwich, a pocket knife, and a change of socks before leaving.
Sunset at Sea The ocean and atmosphere blur together as the sun ignites both in its passing
Cling To The cliff holds the rocks, holds the tree, holds the nest, holds the home.
Another Sky, Another Life Each breeze that blows, each leaf the flutters and falls. The choices and lives you can lead.
Ballistic Seagull The seagull reaches terminal velocity, headed for a french fry in the sand. The food, and the honor, would soon be won.
A Long Walk The traveller's path had been long, and seldom contained within this one world. No matter, he had packed extra shoes and plenty of snacks.
Cozy Castle The meaning of 'cozy' and 'private' change wildly from person to person. Whipping wind and locked gates sound just lovely to me.
Hello, Old Friend The ground didn't behave like ground should here, and the traveller was beginning to feel the effects. Still, it had been too long since the last visit with his friend.
Worlds of Adventure
Adventurous characters and unexplored worlds come pouring out when you chronically doodle and daydream. A scene doesn’t have to tell a whole story, but it should plant the seeds for one in your imagination all the same.
Distant Destiny From across the valley the two locked eyes. The threads of fate had not only pulled both to this spot on this day, but commanded both to look upon the other. Today, Fate declared, Gerard and Horth would become lifelong friends.
Gone Fishing "Any bites?" "Not yet, you're scaring them all away"
Cookie Fairy The children would cheer whenever the fairy appeared, offering them endless cookies to eat. None of them ever questioned the motivations of the fairy. No one wondered why the fairy was so eager to have her own kind devoured.
Dream Big Some day...... Some day.
Unexpected Catch The fisherman and the mermaid locked eyes, trading looks of shock for looks of annoyance. The river had never had such a creature before, Billy had been hoping for a grindylow, after all.
Buffasaurus Oh yeah. OH YEAH. YEEEAAAAAH
Vitruvian Lumberjack Mapping the perfectly proportionate human body is not enough. The ultimate human form must also be adorned with rugged plaid and a little fuzzy-ball hat.
My Friend, the Shadow Monster The creature really was friendly, all things considered. Very polite, whenever she came down to talk. She had to pay attention though, if she stayed too long her own colors would begin to fade out.
Out For a Stroll Clara stepped out, on her way to gather ingredients for her latest potion. It was a good day.
Visiting a Friend "It's easy," Clara says, "I just sorta think of the air, and the broom follows me." Robert thinks for a moment and says "But you're going further away from the pond that way."
Beautiful Things I’ve Seen
Most of these pictures were snapped while just walking the trails around my city. If you get down in the dirt and let your eyes wander, there’s all sorts of things to see.
Fairy Garden Overlooked by so many, the tiny forest held deep wonders. No larger than a quarter yet more than enough to house the winged ones.
Cliffside Inside The hollow stump had transformed into an entirely alien landscape, full of perilous cliffs and chasms.
Take My Hand The canyon stretched for miles in all directions, nothing but emptiness and air. Yet still the tree spread its arms and reached out.
Little Tree On a large rock under a huge sky, the little tree grew.
Up Periscope Roger breached the surface, rising up through the tiny leaves that covered the water. He looked around, satisfied that the world was in order, and sank back below.
Trunkated Long since chopped down, the stump retained the colors of life.
Red It takes a brave soul to blaze in red when the world surrounds you in browns and greens.
The Monster's Skull The body had long withered and blown away, yet the skull remained. It's empty eye still staring out.
Sun Flowers They aren't actually made of sun, although the insects and birds certainly think highly enough of them regardless.
I Will Protect You The old titan had passed years ago but felt no regret in the fact. The next generation would come and they would spread their own roots.
Waiting It had been some time since the bench held a body. No matter. He would wait, and someday he would be useful again.
Neverending Mirth
As a chronically creative / fidgety adult with two equally creative and busy children, the opportunities to make fun things are both common and welcome. Below are some of the neat things I’ve made.
RPG Necklaces Cross stitch goes so well with the 8-bit aesthetic, it just made sense to celebrate my love of nerdy old video games by combining the two.
Colorful Scraps What to do with a pile of busted-looking 1x3 scraps? Paint em, sand em, glue em together, and then make some art out of it all.
Big Unicorn Carved from a tree branch, with a mane and tail made from twigs, the majestic creature stands tall to defend nature.
Good Night Monsters I've got dozens of stories bumping around my head, but only this one has made it to print so far. This stack was on sale in a local coffee shop earlier in the year.
Little Unicorn My first carving, this gentleman gazes out from his hillside.
Playroom Mural This is a big old mural in my basement, featuring built-in shelves and a chalkboard.
Gargoyle Practicing wood carving, this little guy looks over the studio and brings luck.
Space Mural My kid's room it out of this world, featuring a 3-D rocket ship with tiny little alien pilot.
Dragon Ball Necklace Collecting all seven balls and making a wish would be cool, but for now I'm happy with what I've got.
Electrical Box Space Man I was able to hook up with the City of Twinsburg as part of their beautification initiative to spruce up all those metal electrical boxes throughout town. If you're on 91 headed towards Hudson, keep an eye out for space men.
String Art Gifts for my nieces and nephew, their initials in bold colors.
Welcome Signs for All
I love those big board signs people have to brighten up their front doors (or back doors, or hallways, or storefronts, or wherever). I do not love them all looking the same though. Stained wood or solid paint looks nice, but don’t you think it looks nicer to have something full of color? “WELCOME” and “HELLO” are friendly enough, but why not encourage people more with a custom message?
I prefer to use boards that are five or six feet tall by six or eight inches wide*, but can certainly work in other sizes depending on where you are going to be placing your sign. Pricing starts at $150 for a basic scene and message, with more details adding to the cost.
