Mediums - Chalk pastel/pencil on paper

Artist's Statement -Cairns are an artificial pile of stones often erected as landmarks. Some mark a path or a burial site. They can commemorate any sort of event, from the site of a battle to a place where a basket of eggs was dropped. Each of The Birds in this series represents an important moment in my life that I want to remember—whether it was good or bad. They are life lessons that I’m sharing with you. They are my cairns. I use birds as a canvas or skeleton for my life experiences. I chose birds because they are familiar to us all. They build nests, some fly, some sing. They are resilient and colorful. My goal was to chose birds with the qualities and color of the feeling I was experiencing. However, life and its decisive moments occasionally bow to the practical. I spend hours drawing and that gives me a lot of time to think but sometimes I get hungry. My favorite cereal is Lucky Charms, so occasionally yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers will find their way onto the paper. The Birds are one of a kind pastel drawings and my intent is to push the medium of pastel and pencil to the point that it takes on an expressive, painterly quality. In paint, you can be explosive. The medium is wet and can be textured. But drawing with pastels is a controlled, dry medium. For this series, I choose bold colors and did all of the creating, thinking, and drawing on the paper. I’m working to create dry paintings. I’m really a story teller. But I draw my stories rather than speak or write them.

Gallery Affiliations - Modernartsmidwest Gallery The Moving gallery Museum of Nebraska Art Collection of Norman Getsky Collection of Kim Novak Bemis Center

Exhibitions - SOLO EXHIBITIONS The Moving Gallery, Omaha, NE 2008 The Moving Gallery, Omaha, NE 2006 Fluxion Gallery, Omaha, NE 2003 Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE 2000 Garden of the Zodiac, Omaha, NE 1998 Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1996 The Art Gallery, Southwest Michigan College, Dowagiac, MI 1993 Garden of the Zodiac, Omaha, NE 1993 13th Gallery, Omaha, NE 1991 Haymarket Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1990 GROUP EXHIBITIONS Group, Pulp Gallery, Omaha, NE 2009 Omaha Entertainment Awards Art Show, Omaha, NE 2009 Drawing, Modernartsmidwest, Lincoln, NE 2008 Bemis 10th annual Art Auction, Bemis Center, Omaha, NE 2008 Group, Hentschel Art Gallery, Des Moines, IA 2008 Omaha Entertainment Awards Art Show, Omaha, NE 2008 ModernartsMidwest, Lincoln, NE 2007 Group, Hentschel Art Gallery, Des Moines, IA 2007 Omaha Entertainment Awards Arts show, Omaha, NE 2007 Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE 2006 Modernartsmidwest, Lincoln, NE 2006 Modernartsmidwest, Lincoln, NE 2005 Modernartsmidwest, Lincoln, NE 2004 Group, Haydon Art Gallery, Lincoln, NE 2003 2001 Invitational, Museum of Nebraska, Kearney, NE 2001 “Free Male Show”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 2000 Summer Show, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1999 Group, Olson-Larson Gallery, Des Moines, IA 1998 Group, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1998 Summer Show, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1998 “Erotic Art 97”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1997 “Chicago Four”, University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE 1997 “Artworks”, Jackson Artworks, Omaha, NE 1997 Group, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1997 “4 Emerging”, Aron Packer Gallery, Chicago, IL 1997 Group, Aron Packer Gallery, Chicago, IL 1996 Group, Dark’s Art Parlour, Santa Ana, CA 1996 Group, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1996 “Darkvision”, Dark’s Art Parlour, Santa Ana, CA 1994 “Free Male”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1994 “Reverent/Irreverent”, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 1993 “Erotic Show”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1992 “Free Male”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1992 “External Influences”, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1991 Group, Bellevue University, Bellevue, NE 1991 “Dada Dog”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1991 Group, David Heinz Gallery, Chicago, IL 1991 Group, Gallery 72, Omaha, NE 1991 “Valentine Show”, Bemis Center, Omaha, NE 1991 Group, Haydon Gallery, Lincoln, NE 1991 “Free Male”, Antiquarium Gallery, Omaha, NE 1990 “Raw”, Bemis Center, Omaha, NE 1990 Group, Union Hill Gallery, Kansas City, MO 1990