About
Pursued Linguistics and Anthropology, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, Phi Beta Kappa, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 1974. Explored and documented pre-literate tribes in Papua New Guinea, editing language and literacy journals thru the Institute Belong Tok Ples, Ukarumpa, PNG, 1975. Organized within Appalachian communities for the Community Action Commission, Cincinnati, Ohio. Drew portraits of the mentally challenged at Longview State Hospital as thesis for the Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1980.
Willie, 1980
Became Preparator then Gallery Director for the Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio. Met Buckminster Fuller, futurist and author of Spaceship Earth, during design and signing of patent portfolio published by the Carl Solway Gallery, 1981. Supervised permanent installations of the video artist Nam June Paik, from the Museum of Moving Images, London, England, to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Dreams of the Alchemist was my final curated exhibition for the Carl Solway Gallery in 1987.
Nam June Paik, Video Flag z, 1985
Measured and created architectural drawings of Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, Italy, during the summer of 1988. Invited and climbed the scaffolding for the restoration of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, by permission touching the frescoed hand of God as it reaches toward Adam. Worked as model maker for the architect Frank Gehry, when he won the Disney Concert Hall Competition in 1989. Functioning as art advisor for the Turner Classic remake of Dinner at Eight, recreated Johns and Rosenquist paintings for the sets. Completed Masters of Architecture, University of California, Los Angeles, 1990.
Designed my first sets for Passed Away, a Disney comedy, on location in Pittsburgh, PA, 1991. Recreated the sets of Melies' Le Voyage Dans La Lune, 1902, for HBO's From the Earth to the Moon, Episode 13, which was nominated for an Emmy for Best Art Direction for a Miniseries, 1998. Notable film set collaborations include the office complex in Spielberg's Minority Report, 2002; the Borders Bookstore in Spielberg's The Terminal, 2004; the inverted cone and swirling machine that transforms a human into the Sandman in Spiderman 3, 2007; the open office of Facebook's headquarters in Social Network, 2010; the country cottage in Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, 2011; and the new Batcave and the transparent mechanical cabinet that held the Batsuit for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Night Rises, 2012. See www.imdb.com/name/nm0789311/ for a complete listing of film and television credits.
Illustration for Spiderman 3, 2007
Set Design Drawing, Batsuit Cabinet, 2012
During time as set designer in Los Angeles, created New Species Emerging, 2008, an Arizona exhibition of mixed media sculptures inquiring into the implications of evolutionary trends. Lived in Haarlem, Netherlands, 2013-2016, visiting the museums of Europe and creating a series of graphite drawings that incorporate cartoon/comic book characters such as Wile E. Coyote and Krazy Kat. Currently living and painting full time in Boulder County, Colorado, USA.
