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I’m a graphic artist and writer. In terms of graphic art, I’ve done everything from designing and building theater sets to producing some really sharp looking junk mail. Currently, I do graphic design, photography and electronic publishing to pay the bills. My writings and graphic work have appeared in many publications.

I’ve lived in Kentucky since I was sixteen: Hazard, Whitesburg, Lexington, and Louisville. Louisville has become home. I guess those big city lights speak to me too. I’ve spent a lot of time in Eastern Kentucky’s version of Appalachia. I’m not a native, but have the concern and perspective that experience with the region brings. I was born in the cosmic expanse of Texas in 1952.

I’ve had a lot of bad influences and irresponsible mentors. Hunter Thompson is from Louisville and I used to date one of his cousins but I seldom shoot my household appliances. Muhammad Ali is from Louisville and you can see what happened to him. At various times I’ve read and been seriously damaged by Hemingway, Faulkner, Kerouac, Thomas Merton (knew some of his friends…), Ginsberg, Plato, Suzuki, Jung (really helped to send me over the edge…), Sartre, Beckett (once played Clove in “End Game”), Kierkegaard, Pound, T.S. Eliot, Updike, Ursula Le Guinn (love her). The Kerouac-Ginsberg-Thompson matrix was the hardest one to break free from. Ran into Ginsberg in a cafe in Boulder and couldn’t think of a thing to say to him. As a kid I read Heinlein, Lois Lenski, Dr. Doolittle, and every comic book I could get my hands on.

In photography, I have to admit to a weakness for the great black and white photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Harry Callahan, Walker Evans, Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. I still love film and particularly black & white although I do a lot of digital photography. In terms of contemporary photographers, I like Joe McNally a lot, also Moose Peterson, Michael Kenna, Mark Tucker, and Steve McCurry.

I like Mexican food, dislike German food. Like beer because it’s cheap, dislike wine because it isn’t. Like blue jeans, dislike formal wear. Love boats, hate airplanes. Like fish and cats, love dogs. Love rock and roll, avoid country music. Didn’t go to Vietnam and feel guilty about it. Read about Woodstock in Time Magazine, twice. Received classic liberal arts education, B.A. and M.A., and took eight years to mend from that.

For my directory of professional services, please visit WordWorks.

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