I grew up among the pine trees and lakes of northern Minnesota. Like one of my hometown heroes, Bob Dylan, I hit the road early and lived in places such as New York and San Francisco before finally settling down in the small fishing village of Petersburg, Alaska. All along the way I studied and made art.

Most of the year I spent as a commercial fisherman chasing salmon, halibut and abalone around the Pacific – but in the winters I lived in Florence, Italy where I rented a room and an art studio. I was able to view much of the artwork from the Italian Renaissance and it heavily influenced my own artwork.

After leading a rather nomadic existence for several years, I moved to Chicago to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago. I received my Master of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Multi-media Installation in 1991, and also met my best friend and the love-of-my-life, Colleen.