Historia

The short version;

I moved to the Denver area when I was twenty. That been said, almost fifteen
years have passed since then. Art was big in my life and It still is.

In 95' I participated in my first showing. Sunset Gallery was the location. They
were down on 14th and Ogden, the Capital Hill area of Denver. Big canvases
were my calling then, four by fives mostly. I had a small car at the time, so from
time to time you could see me walking from Denver Art Supply to my apartment
on 14th and Downing with a couple of blank canvases. Not knowing how to
stretch my own canvas, that was my only option. RTD wouldn't let me on the bus
with those big things " I'll pay for two tickets?" no way they said. You realize over
time how important something is to you by the steps that you take to make them
happen I guess. During that same time in my life there was a chance for me to
paint my first mural. Lodo was changing, new business was moving in. A
nightclub was being put in an old structure on 20th and Larimer. Through a
mutual friend I got to talk to the owner. Liking my work he let me paint a few
murals inside the club. The Key Club was a great experience, giving me some
good knowledge on dealing with clients. I was the first artist to show work there,
and I got some good feedback on my work. To me all this was fun, talking to
people, dealing on work and getting to know some folks in the art community.

Back in the spring and summer of 96' I got my first taste of a confusing success.
"Confusing?" you ask, well here's the story.

At that time my girlfriend and I were renting a house on west 26th ave, close to
Sloan's Lake. I used to go exploring through out the area on my bike. I have
always had a love for bike riding, (even spending a year and a half working as a
courier on my bike downtown). Well one day I stopped into a  shop across
Sheridan in Edgewater.  The owner asked me if I was a musician, after inquiring
about a sign she had in the window. I told her no I was an artist. "Do you paint
murals?" "yes" was my response. I've found that when you keep your eyes open,
positive opportunities present themselves. Well the deal was they were looking
for an artist to paint a mural on the side of their shop. A Sunday Afternoon was a
fantastic little coffee shop. I figured the Seurat piece titled with the same name
would be a wonderful reproduction to paint on their wall. So there it was, the
idea was born. It caught wings with the city council and happened later that
summer. The contract called for a two month turn around on completion. I quietly
wondered if I would accomplish this task presented to me. The area wasn't at all
that big, thirty by fifteen feet to be exact. But it was the largest piece I had yet
tried to finish, so pretty overwhelming at the time. The whole experience taught
me many things about art and painting out in the public realm. I completed the
work, on time and to the satisfaction of the city. I believed it to be a great
success, even making a good amount for the task. Here was the confusing part to
me;  A few months after completing the piece, satisfying the contract I had with
the city and getting much praise from the neighborhood, the city paid another
artist to come in and add some depth and dimension. I was kind of mad  at the
time, feeling as if I had been wronged in some manner. I fulfilled my end of the
bargain, even making some great money for two months of work at twenty three
years of age. What I didn't see then that I see now is that it was all a business
decision. They wanted a mural that reflected more of the original. Mine  looked
like the sketch that I supplied for the proposal. I was confused, I did everything
that I was supposed to but the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like
I had let all those people down who saw the piece, liked it and gave me praise
for all the hard work. I still had more to learn... and life has a way of teaching
you.

Through all of those early experience's I some how managed to stay an Artist. I
helped run Heart Studio in North Denver for over five years, helping to start an
Artwalk that still lives on today with great success. I found a love and fondness
for getting people involved, painting community murals around the city. After
weathering all of these different seasons in my life, I have ALWAYS managed to
hold up art with a special effort in my life. I am wonderfully blessed with two
beautiful children, a smart gorgeous wife and a passion for the process as well as
the completion. Today mi familia and I call  Jefferson County home, living close to
the foothills within view of those many mountains that I will have to conquer.

Please feel free to contact me for further details on specific shows or projects I
have been involved in.
Thank you, and may the universe bless us with good tidings.

Historia