I’ve always drawn. Since a child in Grande Anse, New Brunswick I’ve had a pencil in hand. When I moved to British Columbia at 7 years my teacher sent with me a box of paper, crayons, pencils and watercolours telling my grandparents to encourage me to keep drawing (my grandparents raised me until I was almost 8).
Until later in my mid twenties art was always there and I focused mostly on pen and ink and pencil. While I was working toward my black belt in Ju-Jutsu I designed and drew the various certificates for the all the belts. Drawings of Bruce Lee and flying side kicks was always a hit with my fellow students and the small earnings allowed me a few beer on weekends!
For a short period after getting married (1985) I didn’t draw much until while on internship while at an art show I saw print of a wolf that was wildly overpriced and was reminiscent of Picasso on LSD, at least to me anyways!
My wife encouraged me to not be so negative and start drawing again. And so I did and a few graphite drawings of Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Peter the Aged Rock and the Nativity scene of the Jesus of Nazareth movie as a Christmas card for our seminary was the fruit of my starting to draw again.
Closer to the present, about ten years ago I started to do watercolour (some are on this website) and 4 years ago I took part in a master watercolour class in Vancouver B.C. with Alvaro Castagnet who encouraged me with many kind words and his flamboyant style!
I then ventured into acrylics and more recently oils. In the summer of 2016 I was in Maui and was showing the director of a gallery on Front Street my Tuscany Dreams watercolour while in conversation. She remarked that she loved my watercolours, but the gallery didn’t deal in that medium. However, if I did Tuscany Dreams in oil then they would certainly consider it. I was encouraged as I considered that a conditional yes, not an unconditional no.
Walking down the street I visited Lahaina Gallery and met Brian Connelly who allowed me after a little persuasion to show him one painting - and so I showed him Tuscany Dreams. He loved it, the director loved it and Brian asked if I had ever met Roy Tabora. I said I hadn’t and he said he wanted to introduce me that Friday night as Roy would be in Lahaina at the gallery. And so we met, in the course of conversation he saw my work (on my phone), compared my style to the artist Winslow Homer (that’s his opinion as generous as it is!) who I had never heard of since I’m self taught. Long story short he invited to paint with him and I’m now preparing to paint with Roy for the fourth time this coming November since January 2018.
In February 2019 I was picked up by Lost Art Gallery and Sea Spirits Gallery owner Victoria Golden while in St. Augustine, Florida. A wonderful, encouraging woman, Victoria was kind enough to allow me to work with her after she saw my Evening Delight print and the photos of a few other originals that will be in her galleries soon. I truly look forward to learning more about the art world from her and being the featured artist August 2 in her galleries this summer!
