I was born in New York City on October 9, 1946 and raised by politically active labor union parents with a rich appreciation for Music, Art and Theatre.  I have a fond memory of Paul Robeson in our living room; I was in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 to hear Dr. Martin Luther King.  My first involvement in the arts was as a folk musician – I played and performed with a group of players lead by the Rev. Frederick Douglas Kirkpatrick, one of the leaders of the Poor Peoples Campaign in 1968.  I attended Earlham College where I developed an interest in the Theatre and took my first painting class from a visiting Japanese abstract painter and garden designer.  I spent the summer of my junior year in a studio with 2 other students and, while I really enjoyed myself, I found that my real talent was in the Theatre.  I received an MFA degree in directing from the Yale School of Drama in 1970 and worked in the professional and educational Theatre for 40 years, including 26 years as the director of the Theatre Arts/Drama program at Skagit Valley College and 10 years as the West Coast Auditioner/Recruiter  for the National Shakespeare Conservatory’s professional actor training program. I retired in 2010.  During this time I helped found the Prozac Mtn. Boys, a local bluegrass band that performed for 28 years in venues in northwestern Washington – I was the guitarist/vocalist – you can hear the band on one of our 4 CDs.

My involvement in the arts has always included multiple art forms.  Within the visual arts I have been active as a painter -acrylic abstract and impressionist –  print maker – linoleum block prints and mono-prints – and photographer – local animals and close up flower pics.  I consider all of these my body of work.  I have been encouraged to pick one area and develop a more consistent look but that’s just not the way my creative process works.  I have been on hiatus for several years and recently found myself back in my garage studio looking at past work and thinking of some new pieces.  This has lead me to join CAA. Thank you for welcoming me and I look forward to meeting you all and seeing your work.

My wife Rose is a retired Nurse.  We live on 3 acres that border the Upper Samish River on Highway 9 north of Sedro Woolley.  Rose and I met on a commune in Harrison, Idaho and have been married for 52 years.  We have 3 sons successfully finding their way in our challenging world.