I started painting as a child while living in Key West, FL, with a teacher who painted mostly submarines and thought Picasso, Miro, etc.  were deviant non-artists/communists. I was taught a brand of realism that can only be described as "boring" (even then). The good part, though, was developing technique and learning how to see. Self discovery and personal introspection continued as an adult working as a counselor and art therapist. A propensity for introspection was and has always been a large part of who I am. My art reflects this approach and has embodied my fascination with the unconscious and how it is played out in my dreams, fantasies and everyday life .These visual ideas have strong connections with one another and form a larger narrative with my 3D sculptures playing out their parts. The figures and their boats, companions, stages or whatever, become my toys and as I create them or play with them I imagine they hold a tiny bit of my own life force.  I like them to be seriously funny and possess a bit of pathos coupled with some possible dark humor. Only then do I feel they speak for me.