In case you were wondering...

I’m a self-taught artist and animator with a disability, and have been making artwork since I was a kid. Born and raised in Northwest Iowa, I now live near the nose of Lake Superior.

Growing up in a spare sparsely populated corner of Tornado Alley creates a void that needs filling, fertile ground for the imagination to thrive in. To me, every bit of the landscape (animals, telephone poles, windmills, railroad tracks, weather…) radiates power, mystery, and significance.

Having begun in a place far far away from art supply stores, I still rely on water-base paints and recycled materials for the majority of my artwork.

In the spring of 2002, I attended “The Art of Employment” – a three-day conference organized by VSA Minnesota. VSA has helped me to set practical and professional goals, collaborate with other artists with disabilities, and find opportunities and funding to produce and exhibit my artwork. I've since gone from rewiring lamps at Goodwill Industries to exhibiting my artwork and animation nationally and internationally.

Since September of 2006, I've partnered with VSA Minnesota, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and ceramic artist Roald Molberg (of Blue Planet Pottery) to found and lead the Arrowhead Alliance of Artists With Disabilities (AAAWD).

 

"It's not that I wasn't cut out for it.
It's just that I wasn't sewed up right."