Why? When? How? Why did I "become" an artist? When did I "become" an artist? How did I "become" an artist? As questions go, those are the Big Ones, right---the Why...the When...the How? But the truth is, I don't actually know.

I do know that I felt more alone than not growing up in the mid-Fifties to mid-Sixties in and near Portland, Oregon. I went to grade school and high school in Beaverton, famed now as the home of Nike but merely a rising suburb then.

Born the youngest of three boys in 1951, I was kind of left to fend for myself in many ways as a result of my brothers being away or preoccupied and my parents having to deal with a sudden, steep downturn in their financial fortunes.

I came to lose myself in lifting weights, in watching certain TV shows, in drawing, and in starting to model with clay. As a result, I turned into a very strong kid with a passion for certain TV shows, drawing, and forming clay figures.

In general, I was fascinated by science fiction; in particular, I loved the whole goofy, brazen gamut of Japanese movies and cartoons with creatures like Godzilla---all the over-the-top antics and havoc-wreaking schtick. Very cool stuff.

And then, of course, the sci-fi genre was nicely populated by voluptuous females, some of whom I had in mind as I was drawing and sculpting in high school, at Oregon State, and at Portland State. Talk about inspiring...(read more)...