I grew up in Winona Lake in a little white house with a pond and a weeping willow tree in the backyard. My parents raised me and my four older siblings to love hard work, to delight in the beauty of nature, to cherish others, and to face daily life with courage and joy. I did not know it at the time, but these elements of my youth provided a strong foundation and wealth of inspiration for my artwork.

I truly experienced art for the first time in college. I knew virtually nothing about art history or studio art upon arriving at college. By God’s goodness, I was randomly placed in Drawing I. It was not entirely a love-at-first-sight type of experience. I struggled and stumbled through each assignment and class session. However, the smell and texture of the materials, the challenge and thrill of the work, and most importantly the act of learning how to truly see all kept drawing me back in. When I felt defeated by another failed painting or by a counterproductive sculpting session, that frustration was always quickly trumped by the desire to more fully understand the medium, process, and subject matter. I could see how viewing art was changing me and felt the delight it could bring, and I wanted to be a part of that type of creating.