“What is going on inside your head?” or “Where do you come up with these things?”

These are some of the questions I’m often asked when people look at my art. My answer, “I am a high school art teacher, and the kids make me a little nuts.” They inspire me at times with their fresh bold ideas. Teaching full time for the last 26 years I have also needed a creative outlet so I sketch in my sketchbook frequently and out come these characters. Some of them make it to a canvas. In my sketchbook I use just graphite, but on canvas I use bold, bright acrylics. Once the characters get to the canvas stage they often are named and a story forms around them. My characters are kooky and strange and often occupy a space that’s very surreal. If you look hard enough you could find social commentary in my work but really mostly they are just meant to be fun to look at with whatever you want them to mean to you. I really enjoy watching people and their reaction to my paintings. Most everyone leaves them with a smile and that really makes me happy.