”You have so much potential.  Why aren’t you painting?  Are you ever going to paint again?”  Well, it’s been almost 20 years since my last art show and I’ve left a lot of people wondering. I seem to have kept my artistic talent buried for a couple of decades but I’ve learned many valuable lessons in the process. The time out of the public eye has taught me numerous lessons and has given me opportunities to grow as an artist while serving others. I’ve also been humbled many times and have learned what is really valuable in life.  Still the questions come up in my mind, ”What are you doing with the talents that God has given you?  What are you doing that will last for eternity?”  

  

  I knew in grade school that I had artistic ability and dreamed of being an artist some day.  After high school, graduating in 1972, I attended Western Baptist College and got my first real job as a photographer/artist in their Graphic Arts Department.  I started drawing and painting wildlife on my own, doing art shows and working on commissioned projects.  Eventually, I got to the place where I could make the break to full time wildlife artist in 1980.

 

  My break came one week after I left Western in the form of a broken leg. Three months in a cast sent my career into a nose dive and I struggled to feed my family and  hang onto my faith. Through these dark times I learned to trust God and was reminded that He had a perfect plan for my life. A contract with a large print company brought some financial stability. Two years as a gallery owner taught me valuable lessons of business and hard work. Supplementing my art income with construction jobs and delivering a rural mail route gave me practical working knowledge. Living between art shows and waiting for the next art sale to pay the bills was difficult for my family and depleted my creativity. Being an artist just wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be.

 

  In 1988 I took a full-time job with Church ArtWorks where I am currently Production Manager/Art Director. Over this time I’ve been able to prepare art for businesses, camps and church ministries all over the world. I've continued to paint wildlife on my own time and put more than 60 pieces of art into print. Working full time and the activities of family life tends to crowd out blocks of time needed for my intricate, detailed paintings. The death of both my parents and father-in-law within a few years time opened my eyes to the shortness of life and the importance of leaving a legacy. I threw myself into learning and took on as many new projects as possible, often working 70+ hours a week.

   Building an apartment for my mother-in-law, remodeling a 120 year old church, landscaping projects, video taping youth camps, learning computer video editing, producing commercial video work for a Christian musical festival, recording a mission trip to India with Reid Saunders, producing Salem Riverfest video promotions, wedding videos for friends, projects for my church and wonderful family vacations have filled nearly every spare minute of my day. In all this I’ve gained a true sense of happiness and accomplishment. There is a true joy that comes from giving time and talent to the work of the ministry.There’s a reward when you invest in the lives of others and begin to share from the blessing that God has given you. Being a grandparent is one of the pleasures in life. Like my big black lab, Jackson, who eagerly waits for an end-of-the-day bike ride to the river, I look forward to my next project or opportunity.

 

  Recent trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sun Valley, Idaho; Yosemite and Yellowstone Parks wet my appetite for wildlife art again. A painting started six years ago finally came back to life and was recently completed! (three bears)  I really enjoy the process of mixing paints and creating something from nothing. I love the times when I get to paint. I get so involved with my subject matter that I can sometimes smell the lingering scents of the animals, trees and wild flowers right in my studio. I can even hear the sounds of nature as my imagination drifts off to another time and place. It’s a journey that we can take together.

Art is meant to be shared with others. These are my gifts to you.

  

What will last for eternity and what have I done with the talent that God has given me?  You be the judge.