The artist grew up in northern Kentucky, influenced by the Cincinnati Art Museum and mentor Frank Duveneck. His training in martial arts with Stephen K. Hayes taught him to break down complex ideas, which similarly applies to painting. The understanding of simplicity in movement greatly impacted his art techniques. A significant moment in his artistic journey was witnessing a Duveneck study that epitomized his aspirations in oil painting. His first paid commission for National Geographic marked a pivotal change in his painting approach, leading to a more refined artistic expression.
The way that Stephen taught such complex concepts of moving stealthily by breaking them down into simple components helped me to understand how I was doing a similar thing when teaching myself to paint.
It was a study by Duveneck of some hands and faces of two men. The brushwork knocked me out. I've never forgotten the moment that I realised it was everything I wanted to learn about oil painting.
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