I never really considered the idea of art as a career, so my focus was always on the fun of art. In college I took as many art classes as I could, simply because I loved them, not because I ever imagined I would do something beyond a hobby. Even if I never considered an art major or thinking of a career in art, I continued my personal goal of educating myself in painting, drawing, ceramics and printmaking.
My "new" career as an artist was preceded by a long list of careers that have shaped both me personally and the art I do today. I've been teaching 11th and 12th grade History and Comparative Religions at Riverstone International School in Boise, Idaho, for the past nine years. Prior to moving to Boise I spent several years living and teaching in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (not a typo - I did live in Central Asia), eight years teaching in Central Oregon and a few years learning to teach in Alaska.
As I developed a teaching career I was a long time fly fishing guide on some of the greatest rivers on earth. I spend six summers as a guide on the Deschutes River in central Oregon working for the Flyfisher's Place out of Sisters, Oregon. Before guiding in Oregon I was a guide for Tikchik Narrows lodge in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska.
