I grew up on a magical thirty-acre lake property in rurual Michigan, just four miles from the girl I would marry after high school.

Coming from city life in Detroit, my mom wanted a few of every kind of animal. Care and connection for those animals and growing up on that land informed my sensibility—defined as the ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic influences. More simply stated, I try to capture our ability to connect with the natural world or discover subject where often overlooked. Dogs, in this way, have incredible capacity and exceed basic ideas of trusted companion. By working large, I aim to amplify perspectives that have elevated dogs to “family” in today’s society. My effort is to move beyond the portrait and allow the viewer to feel as connected to a particular dog as they might a landscape. Beyond painting, I find expression in photography, sculpture and other functional work.
Outer Banks
Any day at the beach is a good day! But it’s exceptional when the sand clings to your collar and the sun pulls the salt water from your fur as you sit on a Carolina beach. Her gaze was so much of this moment that I wanted room for us to wonder what held it. It’s easy for us to humanize dogs but they have a special quality off leash in wild spaces. Like us, dogs like the beach.

Black and Tan on Blue
Formerly known as the “Sheriff of Carrboro,” this Black and Tan resided two doors down and often used his coonhound voice to talk to neighbors. He regularly reclined on his oversized blue chair out on the front porch. We miss bumping into Moses now that he’s sheriff of a new town in South Carolina.
 
Edge of Somewhere
One Sunday afternoon Carl had found the spot where the sun was pouring in from the south. I laid down on the carpet, feeling the warmth for myself and started taking pictures with the camera sitting on the floor. He barely opened his eyes as I moved to get shots with strong foreshortening. After
finishing, I let the sun take me to where he was.
 
Premium Chocolate
Rich and good. Chocolate, like dogs, come in many varieties. Often one is premium to us!