I’ve always gravitated toward visual arts, with my origins writing for UC’s The News Record college paper, after securing an internship with CityBeat, Millenial Cincinnati’s version of the Village Voice. Between reading Clement Greenberg and entering events listings into the database “ Cheese and Wine at the Westin”, I was short on experience, so I wrote what I observed and held short interviews, filling the needs of the column. In reality, I felt empowered, giddy, and like I was fooling everyone to get paid while going to shows. It was a cool gig and lucky for me, not many people wanted to do it at the time.

For my Art History requirements, I was taking independent studies in Feminist art from this really groovy CAC curator Sue Spaid, who I have since fallen out of contact with. To a country kid, Sue may as well have been from Saturn. Tall and catlike, with a designers’ eye, whip-smart, composed, worldly but down-to-earth when we connected, she was everything I envisioned myself becoming, other than tall. Waxing creatively on Sue’s 2nd floor Eden Park flat full of pieces from artists she knew from her gallery in LA - every object she owned was significant and prop-worthy. We had oysters in the hotel cafe next to her place and talked Feminist art — Kruger, Chicago, Bourgeois, the greats. My other DAAP teachers of that era were showing artists like TC Corbin, supporting us students by buying our still-lives, opened their studios, chain-smoking and providing guidance, shared resources, and some of the younger professors doubled up and nude-modeled for us. It was odd, communal, and lovely, and I fantasize about going back to school often, though my schedule now won’t permit these extravagances, fortunately.

I am a natural bass-player in the Art Department band, keeping the beat in the background. I ask questions and chip away at the idea until it reveals itself in a way that satisfies all parties. We find common ground and peace with any outliers, with every issue a phone call away from a bright solution or two.

Here is some art I have made in various media. I excel at original content, and I’m a human copy machine that duplicates what I see with aplomb - styles and applications, using my hands and brain - which I am not convinced is an ART skill but feels more like a survival instinct at this point with the advent of AI, my hope is that artists continue to be recognized and produce original work without robotic threat, where we can provide a comfortable living to ourselves. My main employment is Art Direction for Television, and have recently forayed into Social Justice arenas, where I 3d model installations and provide graphics services for social media and displays, and some installation where needed.