My earliest memory of being moved by art was standing in front of my grandparents' portraits as a young child. My grandfather passed away when I was six, and his portrait became a way of remembering him—of keeping him present. Even then, I understood that art could hold something precious, something that transcended time. That fascination with creating something semi-permanent, something that could live beyond you, tell a story, and be handed down, has never left me.

I was fortunate to have encouraging art instructors at each step along my journey. In elementary school, I had a great art teacher—one who pushed me and challenged me. I remember drawing my hand in her class and her telling me not to look at my drawing and draw what I thought the hand looked like, but to look at my hand and draw what I see. That lesson in observation, in really seeing rather than assuming, has stayed with me.

My path to becoming an artist wasn't straightforward, but every detour taught me something. In high school, I discovered oil paints in my AP art class—there was only one problem: my instructor was allergic to everything I'd need to use them. No paint thinners, no traditional brushes. Never one to shy away from a challenge, for two years I painted a series of landscapes using only Q-tips, sponges, and my fingers as brushes. Looking back, that early lesson in creative problem-solving shaped how I approach my work today.

I studied advertising and design at Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts, and spent a transformative semester in Florence, Italy, studying under renowned art restorer Lorenzo Casamenti. His fresco restoration class—part art history, part painting—remains one of my all-time favorite experiences. The Renaissance masters I studied there continue to influence my approach to color, composition, and the tactile quality of paint.

After college, life took me in different directions. I joined my family's third-generation printing business, Martin Printing Company, where I've spent the past 20 years. Then my twin children were born, and art took a backseat to life and family. In 2012, I took a watercolor workshop led by award-winning artist Mary Whyte, and something clicked. Mary's words resonated deeply: "Whether we are artists or not, we all seek a life that is filled with “more” - more creative pauses, more colorful relationships, more meaning. Everyone wants the secret to success and happiness. In my classes, I show students that they have to identify what they are feeling in order to paint, that the quality of their production is not primarily about technique or copying. As artists, we paint from our hearts as well as our heads." She inspired me to dust off my paints and get back to it and to pursue painting with emotion.

In 2015, I was going through a divorce, and my life was at a turning point. I needed to return to something familiar, something that could help me heal and move forward. I started slowly gathering my brushes and an old easel. After months of procrastination, I finally got back to painting and discovered it's a lot like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Painting became a way of processing change, of rebuilding, of finding solid ground again. And the words of Mary Whyte echoed in my head again, “Success is measured not in how much we accomplish, but in how much we overcome.”

A bucket list item of mine had always been to participate in Greenville Open Studios, when artists open their studios to the public each fall. In 2017, I took the leap. With the support of friends and family, I opened my home studio for the weekend and sold about half of what I had available. With the support I received, I was able to use the proceeds to rent a studio at Greenville Center for Creative Arts in West Greenville's vibrant arts district. That studio, inside the historic Brandon Mill, has been my creative home ever since.

In 2019, I had my first solo exhibition at GCCA—and that's where I met Melissa for the first time. That the art center would become the place where I not only rediscovered myself as an artist but also met my future wife feels like the kind of full-circle moment you can't make up. GCCA has been central to my growth and development, both personally and artistically. Over the years our children have attended camps and classes there, and Melissa and I have taken workshops together. It's truly become our creative home.

Today, I work primarily in mixed media oils, using palette knife technique and heavy impasto application to create paintings inspired by the natural beauty and landscapes of the South. My current series explores the transformation happening across the region and subjects that carry meaning beyond decoration—pieces that tell stories about place, change, and the character of where we live.

I participate in 10-12 art shows annually throughout the Carolinas and teach mixed media workshops at GCCA, sharing techniques I've refined through ongoing study with artists like Mary Whyte, Betty Anglin Smith, Colin Page, and Sarah Sedwick. Most recently, Melissa and I opened Curate Art & Interiors in Easley, a gallery and retail space where we combine art, furniture, décor, and interior design services.

I'm honored to serve on the boards of Greenville Center for Creative Arts and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, and have previously served as board president for both Pickens County Meals on Wheels and Christ Church Episcopal School Alumni Board. Supporting arts and community initiatives in the Upstate is important to me—this region has given me so much.

When I'm not in the studio, Melissa and I are busy raising our four teenagers here in South Carolina. You can see my latest work at shows throughout the Carolinas, on this website, visit my studio by appointment, or explore current pieces at Curate Art & Interiors.