Art was always my best subject.
In High School, I had a great teacher⏤ Marlin Hansen. Mr Hansen was so nurturing and encouraging that I dared to DREAM that I could become an ARTIST.
In college at South Dakota State University, I continued to develop and fine tune my skills.
I worked under the guidance of many professors; most notably Dennis Guastella and Signe Stuart. But it became clear that making a living as an ARTIST was going be hard.
After college, I worked in design related positions mostly as a retail visual merchandiser. I was successful as a designer, by successful I mean made a livable wage. I worked in this field for a couple of decades however I was designer, not an artist. It appeared my DREAM was put on hold.
In 1997, I was diagnosed with a serious illness and did a six month cycle of chemotherapy. Uncertain of my future, this event gave me lots of time to reflect on life, love, and art. I remembered the joy creating art gave me and knew I had get back to it. Life is hard, art is not.
I survived, as did the DREAM. I continue to work as a retail professional (pays the bills), but I am an ARTIST. I paint every day. I occasionally make an exhibit, have pieces hanging in businesses and even sell them. I am an ARTIST⏤ the DREAM lives!!!
