Bio
Artist Bio:
I was born and raised in New Orleans, LA and found my passion for painting in college, at LSU in Baton Rouge. While studying painting and drawing at LSU, I co-founded the LSU Art League, which held several exhibitions featuring the works of student artists. After graduating with a BFA in 1993, I came back to New Orleans and have continued creating art.
I have taught art to children, freelanced as a psychic and clown, worked as a metal smith for a local jewelry artist, and have volunteered my artistic services to many nonprofit organizations including Louisiana Himalaya Association, Crescent Wrench Books & Info Shop, New Orleans Food Co-op, New Orleans Outreach, and the Green Project. My work has been exhibited at many places around New Orleans and was featured in a full-length documentary in 2001 called Artisans in the Know.
My paintings are mainly portraits of aliens, cats, cows, monkeys, elephants, and sometimes humans. I grew up loving stuffed animals and still have most of the ones from my childhood. I used to play with my stuffed animals for hours, creating world after world on the floor in my room. These creatures, still lingering in my imagination, have seeped out of my mind on to the surface of my paintings. There are three main characters that have developed in my work over the last 10 years: Jeremy the Alien, Atlas the Cat, and Mr. Bingle the Snowman Mascot (the latter two are based on real life.)
