I was a program manager for a defense contractor and was let go in a reorganization just before I was ready to retire. I suddenly found myself with quite a bit of ‘free’ time on my hands. I had been wood carving as a pass time and hobby and had done a few shows and donated decoys to conservation groups so I started focusing on ‘art’, spending more time carving and also started experimenting with painting first then ventured into other forms of media and honestly surprised myself with my work.
I had been giving pieces away to Family and close friends and thru networking with other artists started doing more local shows. I do my own marketing and nearly everything that I can myself. I am learning new skills, meeting new people. I have made many new friends with much more talent and their patience has been fantastic and a tremendous help as I continue to learn.
Finding new shows that fit my schedule and exploring new materials, methods and techniques, as well as my style, continue to evolve.
I also write a blog. Mostly short, humorous stories of my observations of life and misadventures spun up in a funny way. I have given up taking such things in life too seriously and sometimes the therapeutic value of writing outweighs the caliber or quality of the work without question.
It’s all been fun so far. When it stops being fun, I’ll find something else to do. Landing in McKinney seems like the perfect spot and very fortunate to be here. A vibrant and thriving creative community of all kinds & types of artists is exciting and inspirational just being a small part of.
