My Biography
I
was born in Portland, Oregon September 22, 1952. One of six children, my family moved
outside the city to a small town called Beaverton. In 1958 there actually were still
beavers in the creeks around there. Eventually the beavers and pheasants moved out and
companies like Tektronix and Nike were born there. Much of my childhood was spent in the
orchards and forests during the warm summers, and reading and drawing during the long
months of rain and cold.
When I reached my 19th year, I got
wanderlust and took off for Mexico. The travel bug bit (along with the hepatitis bug, but
that’s another story) and a couple of years later, I was off again for nine months of
travel through Central and South America. During one of these trips, I was caught in the
1976 Gautemalan earthquake which killed over 30,000 people and destroyed entire villages.
Some say artists are born artists. This
may be true, for by the age of 9 or 10, I was drawing in pen and ink - portraits, cars,
monsters. With no formal art training, I was learning the basics of perspective and
shadows. In fact, my first formal class was not until late in high school. During my short
time in college, I took a few classes in painting, drawing, and printmaking. When I found
that my portfolio was enough to land a job in an advertising agency, I left school for the
working world. In the following years, I worked as a technical illustrator, painted
murals, and drove school bus during times when my lousy business sense couldn’t see
me through my early attempts at free-lance art.
My strength in art was my ability to
draw, though I was competent in painting and airbrush. The difficulty for me at this time
was finding the niche for pen and ink art. I reprinted my drawings and sold the prints in
galleries and shops, but only in a desultory way. In spite of the lean times, I sensed
that art was the inevitable path I must follow. It was during this period that a jeweler
who owned and sold some of my prints suggested I try my hand at scrimshaw. This was 1978.
It was a watershed year. The jeweler gave me ivory cabochons that I would scratch, then
this jeweler would set the pieces into bracelets and pendants. Soon he introduced me to
his ivory dealer who gave me a broader view of the scrimshaw world. I was able to see the
work of the best scrimshanders around. I was then introduced to Gary Kelley, a co-founder
of the Miniature Knifemakers Society. Gary also wrote for Blade Magazine. He took an
interest in my career and helped me in countless ways. Before long my work was featured in
the knife publications.
The path to success in the art field is
generally long and difficult. Mine was no exception. Most artists don’t have good
business sense and depend on others for promotion. It wasn’t until I had been doing
scrimshaw for almost 15 years that I finally made the leap to become a full-time
scrimshander. Most of what I do is commissioned by art and scrimshaw collectors.
Occasionally, I send work to galleries.
My technique is generally stippling,
that is tiny points or dots incised into the surface of the ivory. My carbide tool is so
fine it can cut a point as small as a dust particle! No other art form is more precise.
Some of my portraits are literally the size of a pinhead. I work on fossil ivory, along
with some of the imitation ivories also. I fill my incisions with oil paint, mostly black,
in the traditional method of the early scrimshanders. I specialize in portraits and
figures, though in no way do I limit my subject matter. I have done cars, motorcycles,
buildings, wildlife, etc., etc. Recently I began working with a couple custom guitar
makers. One of these guitars was made for Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band (now
with Gov’t Mule).
I attend some of the west coast knife
shows, and give demonstrations each year at the Oregon Knife Show. I am always happy to
share my tips with other scrimshanders, or talk with anyone interested in this amazing
artform. I am an avid promoter of scrimshaw and work to educate the general public about
the timeless quality of the art. I welcome comments and correspondence.
I now live with my two dogs on the
southern Oregon coast. My interests include playing guitar, camping, canoeing,
photography, traveling, "watching the stars and acting the fool". |
