If you had asked me what I would be doing in my 50s, I probably would not have
imagined I would be a full-time artist.
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I graduated with a degree in landscape horticulture from The Ohio State University. My
landscapes had an artist's flair, and I made my living while raising my children with my
wife. We had a vacation home in Port Clinton and spent summers on the lake.
But after years on the job and several injuries, I decided to trade in shrubs and grass
for modeling clay. A local sculptor encouraged me and gave me my first block of clay.
Some time after, my wife was offered a position in Port Clinton, and we decided to
move to the area full-time.
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I started sculpting using pictures of my family, pets, celebrities and anatomy books
before moving on to work with models.
My works have caught the attention of local artists groups as well. In the 2012
ArtPrize, I placed in the top 100 of 1500 artists from around the work with my "Captain
and the Kid" piece. The Greater Port Clinton Area Arts Council purchased "Captain
and the Kid" and displayed it in Friendship Park in the heart of downtown Port Clinton.
My water-feature piece "UPlifting" took third place at ArtPrize in 2013.
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My full-size bronze sculpture of Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Woody Hayes
titled "First and Ten" was bought by College Traditions, 286 W. Lane Ave. in
Columbus. It's displayed across the street from The Ohio State University's main
campus - where hundreds of people stop to have their picture taken with it.
I trust Coopermill Bronzeworks in Zanesville to turn my clay pieces into bronze
statues. They make a wax mold of the statue and then cast it, creating a piece of art
that will last a thousand years. The bronzing process usually takes about three
months, so often if a part of a piece is done, I will go to Zanesville to recycle the clay
for a new piece.