Creativity. Connection. Community.

I started painting in High school. I grew up in a family of duck hunter guides. I started drawing the ducks coming into decoys on my school folders. Then I had the idea of making a duck stamp. Then after several paintings, I found out they only submitted watercolors.

I always figure that my art work was a gift from God. Art helped me heal after Vietnam, probably why God gifted me. I worked as an engineer most of my working years. But always used art to bring me down to earth again. It was my medicine. Lately been doing contract paints of people’s favorite photos. I loved doing it for the joy it provided. I also kept me expanding my abilities to paint. I hope you enjoy my work. Know that an old sailor is doing better because of it.

God Bless you. And God Bless United States of America.

I WILL DONATE 10% TO MACV (homeless Vet) THAT THIS ARTIST RECEIVES. MY ART WILL DO GOOD IN A BROKEN WORLD.

Brian’s Bugs and other things…

I have loved drawing all my life, as a young child my mother would give me a pen and paper to keep me quiet during church. Growing up I was heavily influenced by Jack Kirby, my favorite comic book artist. I started painting in ninth grade. Not paying attention in art class, I just developed my own style of painting. My work is impressionistic to a degree; at times I incorporate colors or distortions that reflect my emotions at the time. Often the result resembles comic book art.

After high school and my time in the Army, I returned to Minnesota and attended Commercial Art at the Mankato Technical College. I worked in that field for ten years and found it very unfulfilling. I abandoned art and found healthcare was a much more gratifying field, I worked at Detox, the Security Hospital and Mayo for the next 20 years until retiring in 2024. During all that time I attempted to paint on and off but life was too distracting and demanding, especially while battling severe depression. After I retired, I found my passion again.

Nature has always intrigued me, and I am fascinated by the small seldom seen worlds I find. After planting a Native pollinator garden, I was amazed at all of the flowers, colors and the insects that came to live there. This inspired me to return to painting after many years to do a series of bugs. I also like doing landscapes and started incorporating bugs into them as well. Memories and experiences of growing up in Mankato, also give me inspiration. I even finished some old paintings I had started, one of which was from 1981!

After years of battling depression, painting has helped me return to the light.

I served in the USMCR from 1976-1986; the US Army Guard, IRR, Reserve and Active Component from 1992-2010. Like all of you, I did my duty when I was called. I have always been drawn to art in it's many forms. Art has a way of transcending the every day life and making ordinary things interesting. I'm on a journey to see what other revelations art, photography, can reveal to me.

You can now order prints and other merchandise of my photos by clicking on the "globe" in the upper right corner!

(I write, too. Please visit my author page at http://www.amesbooks.com. Thank you.)

Currently, I am a Visual Arts major, and I enjoy working with oil, acrylic, and watercolors. My favorite mediums are charcoal and ink pen. Some of my best work comes from exploring mixed media. I also create with ceramics and sculpture. Art is a way for me to express myself, vent emotions, and clear my mind. As I like to say, "My demons go to art therapy."

. "I was born and raised in San Jose, California, the son of migrant farm workers who settled in the Santa Clara Valley, an agricultural region that later became known as Silicon Valley. During my teenage years, I spent school breaks sorting and picking fruit at local orchards. At 18, I joined the U.S. Navy Seabees, serving honorably for 4 years before being discharged with a service-related disability. Following my discharge, I enrolled in the O.I.C. (Opportunities Industrialization Center) program, where I received formal training as an electro-mechanical design draftsman.

Subsequently, I embarked on a career spanning 45 years, offering manufacturing, engineering, and graphic design services to various high-tech companies. Throughout my professional journey, I worked during the day and attended evening classes for a decade. Upon retirement, I transitioned into a full-time artist, embracing my passion for creativity and artistic expression."