I was the only child of pacifist, vegetarian parents in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where these descriptive words were almost like a foreign language. My mother, read “Silent Spring” when it was first published. In short, I was an oddball in my hometown. My ethics and themes have followed me: peace, nature, protecting nature, birds, which my father, a dentist, also loved. I studied music and art as a kid, and was guided toward art as a better bet for earning a living.
At the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Design, I majored in oil painting. I took an etching class with Frank Cassara, which was terribly difficult; I was completely mystified the entire semester. But somehow, also, hooked. And I immediately had my own style. I could show my first etchings today without embarrassment.
I studied printmaking in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin also illustrating for the Botany Department. It was a perfect job for someone who loves plants. I illustrated a book on lichens by John Thomson. I have always worked on site, plein air etching, as it were, or from super detailed photos.
I prefer to spend my time creatively. I am particularly interested in doing practical items as well as mixed media. Hence, clocks, boxes, copper fountains. I also like doing work with messages. The challenge is to create images that people like and that have a message or are enlightening. I think it’s easier in music. The beat and the sounds are entertaining even when the lyrics are sad, hard-hitting, or controversial.
Living in Wellfleet suits me. I have a small passive solar, earth-sheltered house on a marsh, central yet secluded. I strive for sustainability. I have one daughter, Savannah, named for a grass land ecosystem with trees.
Education
B.s., University of Michigan, painting
M.s., University of Wisconsin, printmaking
M.F.A., University of Wisconsin, printmaking
50 0ne person shows including:
Duke University, Durham, NC
San Francisco State University, CA
American crafts gallery, Cleveland, OH
Springfield art and historical Society, VT
18 national competitions including:
Springfield Art League, MA, honorable mention
Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ, Purchase award
Cooperstown Art Association, NY
California State College Print Exhibition, San Diego
Bradley Print Show, Peoria, IL
Print Club juried international exhibition, Philadelphia, PA
National Academy of Design, NYC
Boston Printmakers North American Print Exhibition, Boston, MA
Carrier Foundation Art Festival, Belle Mead, NJ
Public and corporate collections:
Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ
Madison Art Center, WI
Oshkosh Public Museum, WI
Allen Bradley Co, Milwaukee, WI
University of Wisconsin Union
Hopkins Art Center, Dartmouth College, NH
Marine Bank, Milwaukee, WI
Peoria Art Guild, IL
General Telephone of Indiana, Fort Wayne
Standard Oil Company, Chicago, IL
Governor Knowles and Representative Kastenmeyer, WI
Gallery representation:
Cambridge Artists Coop, MA
Prairie House, Springfield, IL
Graffiti, London, England
Wallach Art Editions, Ottwa, Ontario, Canada
Vladimir Arts, Ansbach, Germany
M. Bertelson, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Studio gallery in Wellfleet, MA for 20 years
Professional experience:
Faculty:
Castle Hill, Truro, MA
Cape Cod Conservatory, Barstable, MA
Provicetown Art Association, MA
President:
Wellfleet Art Galleries Association, MA
Artisans’ Guild of Cape Cod, MA
