Biography

Born in British Columbia, Canada, 1951. I lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life. I was raised in Seattle Washington and went to grade school there for 6 years. My father was a natural born American citizen.

The family moved to Canada in 1964, my mother being a Canadian born citizen. I have dual U.S./Canada/Cherokee Nation citizenship.

My first formal fine arts studies were at Vancouver community College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I entered the fine arts program in 1974/77/78 & studied sculpture with Barrie Holmes who lived and worked with Henry Moore in England for two years in the 1960’s. In the summer of 1980 I worked with 25 international sculptors at the Lahr International Stone Sculpture Symposium in Lahr, Germany where I completed my first public sculpture in stone ‘The Symbol’ a four ton hand carved piece of Carrera marble from Italy. The first public sculpture in stone in Europe by a Canadian born artist. In 1981 I received my four year diploma (BFA) in sculpture from The Emily Carr Unversity of Art & Design, Vancouver, B.C., Canada with a specialty in stone sculpture.

In 1983 I completed the public stone sculpture ‘People’ in an open public studio environment. The sculpture was realized at The Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada in partnership with the university art gallery. From 1985-1987, I completed The Coquitlam Stone Sculpture Symposium on-site, a 14 piece permanent outdoor stone sculpture garden & park. I participated as project manager/sculptor/teacher and completed 10 public sculptures. From 1989-93 I was manager of The Inner Circle Stone Sculpture Symposium, resident sculptor with The Red Doors Art Gallery & Bistro in Britannia Beach, B.C., Canada. In 1994 I realized the Squamish Pavilion Stone Sculpture Park, a permanent 6 piece stone sculpture garden located in Squamish, B.C., Canada.

In 2006, I was commissioned by The Resort Municipality of Whistler, BC, Canada to complete ‘Last Love I’ the winning entry in a regional public art competition. The project was realized in an open public studio environment from a 6 ton 9 foot high block of Verona marble from Italy. In 2007 I was awarded a public art commission from The Resort Municipality of Whistler to complete ‘Owari’ a table and two chairs sculpted from Whistler black basalt. I spent 2006-07 living in Santa Fe, New Mexico sculpting, drawing and absorbing the culture of the Southwest U.S.A. In 2008-09 I was awarded a public art commission by The Resort Municipality of Whistler to complete ‘Last Love II-V’ in four blocks of whistler black basalt each sculpture approximately one ton. The commission was a winning entry in a regional public art competition.

In 2010, I was one of five selected finalists in the ‘Vandalia Chiseled’ stone sculpture symposium a national U.S.A. public art competition featuring the top five stone sculptors in America. I was commissioned by the City of Vandalia, Ohio to complete ‘Last Love 6’ from a 7 foot high x 3 x 3.5 foot 6 ton block of the world famous Indiana limestone. In 2011 I was a shortlisted artist in the $1.1 million Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas) International public art competition ‘Centennial Hills Transit Center’. In 2012, in this competition I was a jury selected winning commissioned sculptor with the public art concept ‘Motion’ a 9 foot high x 4′ x 2.5′ foot 7 ton sculpture in stone. Motion was realized on-site at Centennial Hills Transit Center, North Las Vegas, Nevada and was permanently installed June 2013.

In 2012 I relocated to the St. George area of Southern Utah. In 2012-2014 I am a jury selected finalist/winning commissioned sculptor in the Tulsa, Oklahoma Traffic Engineering Facility Public Art Project, for the “Last Love 7” concept realized in a 9′ x 3.5′ x 3′, 7 ton block of Indiana Limestone. The project honors Dwight D. Eisenhower, Cyrus Avery & Clinton Riggs. 2016-2017 saw the completion of the Route 66 1,2 and 3 Howard Park Public Art Project, realized on site at Waterworks Art Studios, City of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2018, Last Love 8 was realized for the City of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. It is permanently sited at Queens West Park in St. John.