The backstory.

I’ve always loved color and have been painting and drawing in one form or another my whole life. I received a BA in Printmaking and Painting from Northwestern University a while back and studied with some amazing professors, the likes of William Conger and James Valerio. My advisor—and favorite professor—was none other than Ed Paschke, and it was he who came to find me my senior year, to let me know I’d won the Graduate painting competition, and would I be willing to sell the painting to the university—my 15 minutes of fame!

He was a bit disappointed to learn that I’d sold my soul to the devil and that upon graduating, I would be starting a career in advertising as an Account Executive at the Leo Burnett Company. The blow was softened a bit by the fact that I would be doing it in Milan, Italy. To make extra money, I would do watercolor portraits of friends, and of co-worker’s children. After a few years of faking my way through media plans, I was given the chance to try my hand at art directing and loved it. I ended up doing that —in Chicago—for a long time, and here is a link to my professional website.

I’m still an art director and have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most talented creatives in the country. Something was missing though. I missed getting my hands dirty. I’d moan about it a lot and one a few winters ago my daughter gifted me a book by Maira Kalman. Two days later I went out and bought a ridiculous amount of art supplies. I started with gouache but was drawn back to the magic of watercolor.

I could stare at works by John Singer Sargent all day long. I love to paint and draw with the Chicago Urban Sketchers and the Plein Air Painters of Chicago and I am forever grateful for their welcoming and encouraging communities.

Below are some snippets of paintings I’d done fresh out of college, Northwestern University owns four of them. I think I was obsessed with hats.

I like building things and have tried my hand at crafting myself a few easels. Also, I love water: whether it’s swimming in it or kayaking on it, it features prominently in a lot of my work.