Read some interviews by Cranky Yellow, Myartspace, The eXTra finGer, Sacramento Magazine
I was born, educated and raised in Sacramento CA. also known as "CowTown", "the Big Easychair" and "Sacatomatoe". People who live here or who move here are said to be under the influence of the old native "curse of the two rivers". The curse is like a vortex that makes you stay in Sacramento. If you do leave you will have to come back until all of your spiritual work is done. Painting was never dead here. I have made art nonstop from the time I was a little kid, watching TV sci-fi and playing dress up fantasies in thrift store evening gowns. In my 20s I finally figured out how to get out of the country and answer the call to adventure. I have traveled to 22 countries, including setting up studio in India for almost two years. I paint topics relating to my own experiences that focus on impermanence, vanity and the confusions and beauty of everyday life. My paintings are self portraits. I must need to do more spiritual work... I still live in Sacramento.
My favored medium at this time is oil paint, which is what you will see used in this work unless otherwise stated. I also use other classic techniques, such as the gouache methods used by Indian miniature painters and Limoges enameling. I depict conventional and unconventional figures and objects sourced from different arenas such as: The Monster and Sci-fi movies I used to watch on TV after school, comics and books I read as a kid (who ever stopped?!) Mythology, High gothic, Surreal, Tibetan and Mexican painters, travel to exotic places, dreams, meditation and the hallucinations brought on by illness, nightmares and chemical ingestion, the ragged and beautiful artifacts seen in museums. I find scientific studies of the past and present are loaded with images and ideas. I mix in joy, humor and beauty with the horrible and mysterious, because that is my experience of life.
In 1973 I realized I could make art as a profession. I had made art for years before this (as a kid), but didn't understand it could be a "real job". I studied with several Photo Realist artists in the 70's, Including Gary Pruner and Mel Ramos. Now making art IS my real job and I love doing it!
My artwork has shared walls with many interesting artists including Alex Grey, Mark Ryden, Todd Shorr, Robt. Williams, Robert Arneson, Rob & Christian Clayton, Tim Biskup, Isabel Samaras , Rev. Howard Finster, Elisa Terranova , Tara McPherson and many others. My work is included in many collections, including the Crocker Art Museum. Besides shows in the US, I have shown my work in India, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Japan and Germany.
Affiliations
Bienart International Surreal Arts Collective *
Selected Shows
2009 Definition Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2008 "The Circus Show & Other Atrocities"A Bitchin' Space, Sacramento, CA
2008 Open Studio, SurrealEstates, Sacramento, CA
2008 "Artists That I Know2" Studio X, SurrealEstates, Sacramento, CA
2008 "Get It While It Lasts "Art Dorks Collective, August at DVA Gallery, Chicago, IL
2008 "Art Dorks" Perihelion Arts, Phoenix, AZ
2008 "Everything But The Kitchen Sync", La Luz de Jesus Gallery, LA, CA
2008 "Valentinextra" Studio X, Sacramento, CA
2007 "Everything But The Kitchen Sync", La Luz de Jesus Gallery, LA
2007 "Collabro" Toy Tokyo-Showroom, NYC
2007 "Art Dorks Collective", Thinkspace, LA
2007 "Art Dorks Collective", McCaig-Welles Gallery ,Brooklyn NY
2007 "Don't Wake Daddy2" Feinkunst Krüger gallery in Hamburg
2007 NowArt Fair, KNOW Mark Murphy Booth, Art Basel Miami
2007 "Green" Exibition ,currated by Mark Murphy, ROBERT BERMAN GALLERY,Bergamot Station Arts Center, LA,CA
2007 "Girls and Ghouls" Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2007 Toyroom Gallery Invades Cannibal Flower, Infusion Gallery, LA, CA
2007 Capitol Artists Studio Tour,The Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, SOLO, September 29
2006 "Art Dorks SMASH!",Young Blood Gallery,Atlanta Georga
2006, "Bakers dozen",Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2006 Art Dorks Collective, "That New Dork Smell", Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
See my art featured in "Juxtapoze Readers Art"
2006 " Collabro"Subject Matter Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA 926262006 "Aspects of Humanity",Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
review in the Sacramento Bee
2006 "Banners on the Blvd!",Best of Show,Sacramento, CA
2006 "UPLIFTING VENGEANCE WORLD TOUR" , Rx Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 "Collabro",Anno Domini: San Jose, CA 95113
2006 CAPITOL ARTISTS' STUDIO TOUR, California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, Sacramento, CA
2006 "Said and Done"At Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary Alberta
2006 "...And Everything Nice", Toyroom Gallery Gallery,Sacramento, CA
2006...And Everything Nice", At Thinkspace Gallery, LA, CA
2006 "...And Everything Nice"at Cannibalflower LA
2006 "Art Dorks Collective" Gallery 405, Springfield, MO
2006 "Don't Wake Daddy" Feinkunst Krüger gallery in Hamburg
2005 "Eye Candy Sideshow" American River Community College, Sacramento, CA
2005 "The Gun and Doll Show",Tower Gallery,Sacramento, CA May 7th
2005 "Art of the Cycle"Benefits the Artists in Crisis fund, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2005 "The 5x5 show"Hope Gallery, New Haven CT
2005"Tomato Girl and Barn Swallow" Rotating collecton, Sacramento City Hall, CA
2005 "Dead Man's Party"Hope Gallery,New Haven CT
2005 The Exquisite Corpse Show,Toyroom Gallery,Sacramento, CA
2005 "Curious Organism"Art Dorks Collective at Hope Gallery, New Haven CT
2005 "Digital" ,Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2005 "Purdy Party" Solo Every 6 Weeks, Sacramento, CA
2004 "The Girly Show", Solo Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 "Super Duper", Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 "Bugs" HORSECOW GALLERY, Sacramento, California
2004 "Tokyo Monster", Shooting Gallery, San Francisco CA
2004 "Gallery Macabre" Tower Framing, Sacra,emto, CA
2004 "Movie Night", Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco
2004 "The Three Graces" Soloman Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 MailArt, Exploding Head Gallery, Sacramento. CA
2004 Cowtown, Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento. CA
2003 "Si-Fi Western Show", 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, Ca
2002 "The Muff and Queenie Show" Solo Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2002 Center for Contemporary Art, Organism-Sessions, Animation , Sacramento
2002 "Truckloads of Art "Toyroom Gallery, Sacramento, Ca
2002 "SideShow", HORSECOW GALLERY, Sacramento, California
2002 'The Phobia Show', HORSECOW GALLERY, Sacramento, California
2001 "Odd Images of Self ", Solo Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
2001 "Odd Images of Self ", Solo Sierra Center for the Arts, Reno, NV
2001 Open Studio, by the Crocker Art Museum, Solo Sacramento,CA
2001 "Contemporary Alteres" Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento,
2000'In the Box', Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento. CA
1998 Memento, Enamel on Copper, Solo Michael Himovitz Gallery, Sac, CA
1996 Naked Attributes, Oil Paintings, Solo Michael Himovitz Gallery, Sac, CA
1995 Intersections, Sheppard Fine Arts Gallery, Solo University of Reno, Nevada
1994 Sport of the Mind, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.
1995 The Creative Call to the Divine, Open Center, SoHo, New York, NY