Please describe your current work:

My art serves as a form of therapeutic expression, driven by the need to channel ideas and emotions into tangible forms. Thoughts compel me to create, whether through paper or other mediums. Inspired by the graceful, instinctive movements of dancers at Fountain Square and Meadowbrook Inn - movements that seem to communicate without words - I developed a series of woodblock prints capturing the essence of Big Band Dance. Despite my own lack of coordination, I am fascinated by the fluidity and harmony of their performances. I investigated the architecture in the Cathedral of the Assumption and Dixie Terminal, where every day the same folks passed by or walked through and had no relationship to one another except for the constant of that architecture. That was their only connection.

Another key focus of my work is the exploration of recurring dreams. I experience multiple dreams each night, and translating these nocturnal visions into woodcut prints has become a natural extension of my creative process. I delve into these dreams, many of which connect to my childhood, analyzing their symbols and narratives to reflect them in my art.

The intense physical and mental energy I invest in my art provides both solace and healing. This energy often results in cohesive series of works rather than isolated pieces, each reflecting a different aspect of my creative exploration.

What future direction do you envision your art taking:

In envisioning the future direction of my art, I see a continued evolution of my work as a means of deep, therapeutic expression. My creative practice will build upon existing themes, current events and the power of women, while exploring new dimensions of artistic exploration. I plan to extend my exploration of recurring dreams inspired by interviews with others about their own dreams and nightmares. As far as the power of women, I am starting to explore The Book of Mary Magdalene and the renewed interest in her relationship to Jesus and place amongst the apostles.

The future of my art will also involve a focus on acquiring high-quality materials and equipment to enhance the craftsmanship of my prints and participating in workshops like BIG INK to create large scale prints. This investment will allow me to elevate the technical aspects of my work and dedicate more time to research and creative development. By doing so, I will be better equipped to produce a more refined body of work that continues to engage deeply with personal and societal themes.

What future direction do you envision your art taking?

Receiving this award will allow me to acquire essential materials and equipment, including woodblocks, brayers, high-quality paper, and advanced cutting tools. These resources will significantly enhance the quality and craftsmanship of my work. With these upgrades, I will be able to refine my techniques and produce more detailed and impactful prints.

The award will also provide me with the necessary time to deepen my creative practice by participating in workshops like BIG INK to create large scale prints This comprehensive approach will help me explore and articulate complex themes of personal and societal significance, advancing my artistic vision.

Please describe your current work:

My deep connection to this region informs my practice. My grandfather worked for Rookwood Pottery, a company whose legacy of craftsmanship and innovation is central to the history of ceramics in this area. Growing up with that family history gave me an early appreciation for the transformative power of fire, clay, and minerals. Just as minerals transform under pressure, my own artistic journey has been forged through the enduring roots my family has planted here. In continuing this work, I see myself as both carrying forward that legacy and reimagining it in a contemporary, crystalline form.

A Crystal is Born

My artwork explores the metamorphic process that transforms raw minerals into crystalline forms. I prepare and mix a formula of minerals, including zinc and silica, which I melt in handmade ceramic containers at 2,450°F. At these temperatures, molecules join together and form new bonds. As the molten matrix cools slowly over two weeks, crystals begin to bloom. In this extreme heat, a crystal is born-one that will endure until the sun itself fades.

When the cooling process is complete, I carefully cut away the ceramic mold and polish the surface, revealing the crystal's unique structure. Each work is a one-of-a-kind expression of an alchemical journey, a physical record of transformation.

Metamorphic Metaphor

Transformation and permanence coexist in the natural world. The world around us is constantly shifting, reshaping, and redefining itself. We, too, live under pressure, molded by our environment into who we become. My work serves as a metaphor for this process of transformation. It invites the viewer to reflect on resilience and possibility: if minerals can transform into crystals, what transformations might be possible within ourselves and our world?

What future direction do you envision your art taking?

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For the past 25 years, I have created jewelry-sized crystals. The pieces in this application represent a new direction-crystals approximately six inches square. My vision is to scale this work to 20-24 inches square and 2-3 inches thick. These larger pieces will be displayed on walls with light radiating from behind them, creating immersive, luminous works. I intend to present them in gallery settings, where their scale and light can fully engage viewers.

How will you use this award to move toward this vision of that future direction?

The Summerfair Aid to Individual Artists Award would provide the resources necessary to expand my practice. Achieving crystals at a scale of 24 inches requires rigorous experimentation and precise planning. With this award, I will be able to purchase materials in bulk and acquire a cutting and polishing machine capable of handling larger works.

This support will allow me to focus more deeply on creating these ambitious crystalline forms, pushing my work into a new chapter. It will foster my growth as an artist, bring my vision to life, and open opportunities to share these large-scale works with a wider audience.

Please describe your current work:

In this series, I am exploring the various masks that define humanity, society, and the self. These masks highlight different parts of oneself, including those consciously shown to others, and those hidden or unseen. This creative exploration has deepened my understanding of self and other by uncovering hidden aspects of identity we often try to conceal, whether intentionally or unconsciously. 

This work began as a space for reflection on the many masks I have worn over my life, such as projecting an image of well-being for my children, even as insomnia and night terrors plague my life. I move through the world wearing a happy exterior while grappling with internal struggles surrounding the complexities of life. Though the shape of our struggles vary, I believe we all create and wear these masks. They allow us to perform for the world, offering a sense of safety by hiding parts of ourselves, sometimes even from our own awareness. This work gives me a way of unburdening, creating a space to confront what lies beneath by carving in the open truths I am tired of concealing. 

My current pieces are constructed from a silver maple tree that was cut down behind my home after a limb struck the roof, revealing an underlying health issue with the tree. Initially, I planned to preserve the trunk for a table; however, when I began cutting, I discovered the wood was decayed six feet from the base. I feel fortunate that the tree did not cause damage to my home and, in a surprising turn, I discovered the inherent beauty within it. This material reminds me that when we look beneath the surface, we may find hidden beauty even when foundations are imperfect. Through carving these masks, I can shape the often unseen struggles we all face. 

What future direction do you envision your art taking:

I plan to continue this series by using the wood I currently have available. My goal is to expand the scope of my work, as I believe I have only scratched the surface of possibilities for expressing the narratives contained within this theme and the material itself. There are many avenues for expressing the narratives I have been exploring and the supply of wood at my disposal appears to be virtually limitless, and I am committed to preserving it through the creation of numerous sculptures. I also wish to incorporate metal using past welding skills to bring more variety and a deeper expression. 

The size of the sculptures is very important to me. I have always wanted to work on a larger scale that is not driven by commissions but instead from a place of genuine passion. The recent pieces I have been developing are larger than my earlier work, and I am thrilled with this growth. At this point in my life, the circumstances are coming together in a way that allows me to take meaningful steps forward on this creative path. 

How will you use this award to move toward this vision of that future direction:

I intend to utilize the Summerfair Individual Arts Award to acquire specialized tools that will enhance my woodworking capabilities and to build a concrete platform in my backyard, providing a stable, safe space for working on large sculptures. My background in high-rise commercial construction equips me with the skills necessary to structurally support large columns, and I have identified a suitable area within my backyard to accommodate this set up. Given the weight of the materials involved, I will require the rental of a skid steer to safely maneuver the wood into position for my projects. In addition, I plan to invest in a stick welder, which will enable the integration of metal and wood in my future work. 

Throughout my life as a rock climber, father, construction worker, and a contractor, I have always returned to art making. This award would provide me with essential time, tools, and resources to pursue this calling that are otherwise beyond my reach. It would allow me to move beyond functional projects and towards the expressive, large scale sculptures I aspire to dedicate my time to, supporting a meaningful shift in my art practice and bringing me closer to the full potential of my creative vision. 

Please describe your current work:

My current body of work "Between Trees" is rooted in my relationship with the natural world surrounding my home in a woodland in Clifton, Cincinnati. The work is a direct response to the climate and biodiversity crisis and the conflicted relationship of humans with the more-than-human-world. The work is made in collaboration with trees and animals of the woodland and utilizes organic materials including wood, plants, wild clay, animal bones and cast footprints found in the woodland. These materials become vessels for sculptures and create visual myths that display stories of our kinship with the more-than-human-world. In the new gintbmwtighepoch, many of us have lost a sense of reverence for and awareness of the ecosystems and natural world we inhabit. Through themes of animism, ritual, death and beauty I seek to inspire a sense of awe and responsibility for the intricate beauty and complexity of the world around us. My work invites viewers to pause, to listen, see and to remember that we are not separate from nature, but deeply entwined with it.

What future direction do you envision your art taking:

The current direction of my work marks the beginning of what I hope will be a Lifelong journey of deepening connection with the natural world. I aim to continue exploring my relationship with the more-than-human-world, expanding the visual myths that help me connect with the land and its creatures. I believe that cultivating a meaningful bond with nature is a powerful response to the rlimate crisis, because we don't harm what we know and love. Looking ahead, I'm committed to creating work that speaks to diverse communities through varied forms of storytelling and visual acing. In the coming year, I will develop a new body of work at the University of Cincinnati Field Center in Harrison, Ohio, in collaboration with director Kenneth Petren, his students, and the surrounding Cincinnati Park system that includes 10,000+ acres of woodlands and prairies. This project will explore plant and soil science through the Lens of laboratory, field, and personal experimentation. I hope to learn from the scientific community at the field center and in return offer artistic perspectives and visual interpretations that highlight the richness of soil, creation, and collaboration between humans and nature. I intend to use materials from the field center Land, including wood, clay, plants and animal-traces to create all the work. The process will involve attending classes, conducting research and experimenting in my studio and the woods. This new direction will deepen my understanding of ecological systems and strengthen my connections with both human and non-human communities. I aim to exhibit this new work through artist talks and video imaging as much as possible. In this age of ecological breakdown, I believe that fostering reverence and relationship with the natural world is not only vital, it is transformative. 

How will you use this award to move toward this vision of that future direction:

Receiving a Cincinnati Summerfair AIA Award would be transformative for my art practice, allowing me to deepen my research and exploration into the animate more-than-human-world and continue creating work that fosters ecological awareness and reverence. My process and art practice is slow and seasonal, rooted in observation, collection, harvesting, and experimentation with natural materials. Because I work in rhythm with the cycles of the land, a single piece often takes a full year to complete. My current exhibition "Between Trees" for the Weston Art Gallery, took three years to realize. This award would provide the time and space necessary to sustain this immersive, place-based approach. It would relieve financial pressure, allowing me to focus fully on studio work without needing to take on additional jobs that pull me away from my artistic goals. More time in the woodland and studio means more opportunities to listen, learn, and create in dialogue with the land. The award would also support essential tools and resources. I plan to purchase a bandsaw to process fallen trees from the woods near my home and at the UC Field Center, where I will be developing a new collaborative project. Additionally, I will use the award to cover kiln access at Queen City Clay, a local ceramic studio that has helped me fire current work. Ultimately, this award will help me move toward a future where my art continues to grow in collaboration with nature and community. It will allow me to share forest time and ecological myths through exhibitions, talks, and video works, amplifying a message of kinship and care in a time of environmental crisis. 

Please describe your current work:

The stories I tell speak to the soul. We may not know who these characters are, but we still connect to their problems and desires. We empathize with them. Their world helps us to examine our world. Expressions, gestures, and narratives frozen on the canvas heighten the suspense and are never fully resolved. 

The landscape and its eternal presence surrounds the figures and offers a freshness lacking from much narrative art. Like a film director, I scope out environments that will heighten the drama of the characters involved, giving my paintings an almost cinematic quality. On occasion, animals play a vital role in man's attachment to nature and act in a supporting role to complicate the narrative. My obsession with particular elements of the landscape, such as leaves, branches, ripples, and stones, helps communicate the magical unbelievability of a place both figuratively and metaphorically. By paying attention to the noises, smells, and changes in light and temperature my paintings reaffirm a sense of place for the viewer. I work from life, from photographs, and from invention to hopefully awaken the viewer's soul. I paint with oils and channel the drama of artists from the past who have heroized the figure, such as Jean-Francois Millet, Caspar David Friedrich, and Winslow Homer. Figures within a pivotal situation secure a sense of the grand mythic qualities that nature rarely reveals but are relevant to us all. In this way, landscape becomes a vehicle for expressing the human condition sometimes as much as the figures themselves.

What future direction do you envision your art taking?

I plan on continuing to explore the potential of narrative painting and the different avenues of telling a story visually. I plan on fleshing out a few different series I've been working on such as narrative paintings for each of the four seasons, and using them as metaphors for larger ideas. For other paintings, I have been researching major historical and recent events—such as the Vietnam War and the current war in Ukraine—with the goal of drawing viewers in emotionally and asking them to confront the consequences of these personal dramas. Themes from daily life that I'd like to explore in future paintings include more paintings from a recently started Halloween series, loyalty and friendship (scenes from literature), and the human connection with nature (bathers skinny dipping). I'd also like to experiment with more serious paintings such as the story of Cain and Abel, the original sin, a Moby Dick or whaling inspired painting and some contemporary events that place humankind in dire situations. 

How will you use this award to move toward this vision of that future direction?

This award would help in many ways. Because of the challenging subject matter of my paintings, the commercial market for them is limited. Over the past year, I've taken on many commissions and haven't been able to attend to the paintings I so desperately wish to make. I would be fortunate enough to continue to explore some of these deeply human scenes as the award would relieve the financial stress.

Please describe your current work:

I strive in my art to engage the mind, lift the heart, please the eye, and celebrate serious craftsmanship. I create open-ended narratives in a whimsical realism style. My work invites the viewer to enter a childlike realm of imagination and curiosity. My images range from charismatic animal portraits to implausible landscape epics. My body of work has slowly evolved into a universe with its own characters, content, and inner logic. Drawing ideas from dreams and daydreams, I often place subjects together that don't fit, creating a logical gap for the viewer's imagination to fill. The touchstone of my painting practice is to create what I would love to see as a viewer, and then go out and find viewers who love to see what I have created.  

My process is very low-tech. I never use digital montage or any M tool in the creation of my original paintings. I sketch from imagination, creating dozens of preliminary studies to investigate ideas and compositions. I then use research, photography, painting, and drawing from life to construct images with believable space, lighting, and dramatic composition. I paint everything you see using traditional Alla-Prima oil painting techniques over a mixed media underpainting on hand-prepped Birch panels. 

Sharing my art with others is the culmination of my creative process. I travel around the US showing my work at fairs and exhibitions, engaging with many thousands of artists and collectors. My passion is to enrich the creative identity of others by creating worlds worth exploring. Joy, beauty, and good humor are at the heart of my process. These values can draw people in and create powerful viewer experiences. 

What future direction do you envision your art taking?

I am on a quest to craft work as radically human as possible in an increasingly anodyne world of technological content. I want to see my work grow in three ways in the coming years.

1. More immersive

Since the start of my practice, I have consistently created more complex projects, larger paintings, and more immersive content. What began as quirky portraits is now an immersive, whimsical world. I once lacked the courage to work on a large scale, but many of the pieces you see are 2x3 and 3x4 feet. I currently have an unfinished 4x6 ft painting on my easel. I now choose projects that can transport the viewer and transform me as an artist.

2. More interactive.

I have become increasingly fascinated with the possibilities of interactive art, and I have begun work on my first interactive piece. It consists of nine, two-sided oil paintings arranged in a 3x3 grid, each with interrelated elements. The viewer is encouraged to rotate the panels, changing the narrative and visual flow of the art with each permutation. I also have plans for many other developing concepts designed to engage the viewer's hands, imagination, and eyes.

3. More collaborative.

I also hope to bring this work beyond galleries and art fairs into public locations like hospitals, museums, schools, and libraries, bringing inspiration and creative energy to these community spaces. Projects such as murals and public installations could expand upon the creative scope available in stand-alone images for private collectors. I have many open-ended narratives and characters that could be the seed of great illustrated books. All of these projects require me to grow as a collaborator, as well as an individual creator, to push the work to new heights.

How will you use this award to move toward this vision of that future direction?

Improve the quality and quantity of my studio time.

Years ago, after being awarded an AIA grant, I created a paid role for young artists to help me a few days a month. This arrangement was rewarding for the assistants and allowed me to regain crucial time in the studio. I am also very proud that two of my studio assistants are now pursuing their own art practices. One was awarded the AIA grant in a recent year. However, my current workload has overwhelmed this arrangement, and in the rush of my exhibition schedule, I find it increasingly difficult to move ambitious projects forward.

I will dedicate 100% of it to finding and training a studio assistant and building a role that can sustainably pay a fair wage. My dream is to focus my energy on areas of maximum contribution and serve my collectors and community best by doing what God made me to do. Unfortunately, my time is often fragmented by urgent production work and administrative tasks. Rather than ignoring the operational details of my art, I aim to improve them by building a team.

It is a gift to do what I love! I am overwhelmingly grateful that I have never faced a shortage of ideas, opportunities, or even external interest to develop my vision. However, a poorly managed workload is the single greatest obstacle to my professional development, and the AIA Grant would be applied directly to solving it. It will mark the beginning of a new creative transformation.

Thank you to the whole Summerfair organization for playing such a significant role in my creative journey, and for helping the arts community in our city thrive!