CONTEMPORARY REALISM
& NATURE ARTIST
CURRENT NEWS
Great Meadows Grant 2025
I recently received a grant from the Great Meadows Foundation to travel to Monte Azul Center for the Arts in Costa Rica. Monte Azul is located on 100 acres of protected rainforest. This will give me an excellent opportunity to observe various birds and animals from this particular habitat, and provide me a wealth of information for my next series of paintings. I will also be working with a master printmaker and master paper maker that will expand my knowledge of materials and techniques. I will be staying from April 27- May 29, 2026
I See No Leaders 8/15 - 9/27 2025
Wheelhouse Gallery Louisville, KY
What an honor it was to have a solo exhibit at Wheelhouse Gallery! After I finished the Fairdale Mural, I only had roughly 2 months to complete 15 realistic paintings, and 9 abstracts. I worked 10 to 12 hour days in my studio up until the day Daniel picked up my paintings for the opening of the show. It was some of the most extreme painting I have done. I was also doing a lot of research on genocides and wars while i was painting to stay connected with the subject and subject matter. It was intense, but well worth it. The opening was a success, and well received. Daniel Pfalzgraf, the owner of Wheelhouse Gallery, also organized a talk in collaboration with art historian, Brenda Edgar, and Louisville Audubon Society's chapter focusing on Lights Out Louisville. I am also a volunteer for their D bird days.
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Brenda Edgar wrote this in-depth analysis of my painting, "The Emperor" and the relationship to the meaning of eagles in art history since the Roman Empire. Below is a linnk to the full transcript.
Here's a link to my instagram for more info about the exhibit
If you would like to see more of the exhibit, you can click on this button, which takes you to an instagram link.
Fairdale Mural Completion 2025
I had the pleasure of completing this mural in June of 2025. The mural depicts the Jefferson Memorial Forest where Fairdale is located right outside of it. The mural was commissioned by councilman Dan Seum Jr. My assistant, Michael Braaksma, and I started May 5 and completed it May 24. The bluebird is roughly 13 feet high, and took roughly two and a half days to paint.
Norton Brownsboro Hospital SPD Murals 2025
Imagine working in a space with no windows. The Sterilization Processing Department at Norton Brownsboro Hospital in Louisville, KY has that exact problem. Or had. They commissioned me to create four murals that looked like windows to the Appalachia mountains. They wanted all four seasons depicted. They saw the work I did for their lab department, and wanted to utilize my talents to boost morale in their work space. Art is healing. There have been numerous studies that prove it. Norton Hospital recognizes it, and I am grateful to have created numerous commissions for their staff, patients, and public. I'm also switching to painting these murals in my studio, and having my friend and professional wallpaper hanger, Nic Whitaker, install them. Here are some photos of me and Nic stylin' in our bunny suits.
News Clip at Hotel Bourre Bonne 5/14/25
I arrived at 5:45 am at Hotel Bourre Bonne to sit in front of the work my assistant, Michael B and I did for the Hermes booth. The local news station, WDRB, was highlighting the grand opening of the hotel, and I was invited to talk about it. The wallpaper is hand stencilled. the frame and " H" are gold leaf that was then painted on. Later that day I would also be installing the first three murals for the SPD space at Norton Brownsboro Hospital. Below is the link to the clip for more info.
Michael B and I also created this gold metallic finish on the shroud surrounding the kitchen. We had only a few days to knock this out. That's why we look a bit bedragled in this photo. We also had a mix up with the manufacturer on an order of the material, but I was able to pivot our process, and make it work. The result was still beautiful.
Murals for Sake A Go Go installation
We' put this behemoth up! This mural is 30 feet in length and 11 feet in width. We were talking about cutting it in strips, or even in half to install it on the ceiling, but Nic Whitaker and Brandon Xacher figured out a way to put it up in one piece! I'm so thankful for smart and talented people that cross my path. The result is astounding in person. You really must go see it for yourself!
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The Florida Job 2024- 2025
The Wave Mural
I had the pleasure of creating this custom exterior mural for a client of mine. We discussed generally what she wanted, and she gave me a sample image as inspiration. Like every project I do, I draw out the design to scale and plan it out before even painting. The mural is to emulate waves, but not be representational.
Vine Bedroom and Bathroom
The client had a bedroom joining to the bathroom and wanted something to tie the two rooms together. I created this design by drawing out the leaves to scale, and then adjusted the design as I went along to fit the cliet's needs.
The Bouquet Bathroom
Although this looks like a fairly simple design, this was the most complicated design for a bathroom I have created. The client gave me two samples, one fabric, and one wallpaper, that had elements that she wanted included in the design. After many tries, I finally came up with this. The key was to evenly place them without creating a repeated design. The client was so pleased with it. Me too. ​
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