I must begin by expressing the important role my parents have played in both encouraging my creative gifts and pursuing a career as an artist. My late father was a talented cabinetmaker and he loved to sculpt in the evenings around the kitchen table. I would sit and watch him and be amazed at how he could transform a block of wood into something so beautiful. I also remember a neighbour showing me a drawing he did of a farm with a driveway that seemed to leap right off the page. It struck me how two lines in perspective could show such depth on a flat surface.

I was born in Alkmaar Holland and immigrated to Canada with my family in 1966. As a child I was always drawing and when I turned sixteen my parents presented me with an airbrush for my birthday. I would experiment with friends' motorcycles and soon I was getting work, doing murals and vehicle detailing. This was in the early seventies when customizing vehicles was at its peek. It would dishearten me however, to see my works get damaged or rust away with time and so I turned my creative energy into a more permanent medium, acrylics on canvas.

In the late 70's I attended a commercial art program at Mohawk College in Brantford. I felt that a certificate would make me more marketable in obtaining a commercial /graphic arts career. After completing the course, I was hired as a spotlight artist with Sears Canada. The job entailed creating ideas for promotional displays. It was a great experience however short lived, due to cutbacks. This led me to the idea of opening my own art/graphic studio. In 1981, with the unwavering support of my parents, Artistik Images was born. I had a small storefront in Bowmanville, Ontario, offering a number of services such as design, portraiture, signs, framing, custom airbrushing on clothing, anything that would pay the bills. When time allowed, I created my own work to build a collection of originals so that I could attend local art shows and festivals. My expression in my work was highly detailed and somewhat mystical, as I would hide images within the paintings that would gradually reveal themselves to the viewer. In 1988 I began publishing my originals into Limited Edition lithograph prints, which I sold to various art galleries, however, it proved to be much harder than anticipated. Galleries were reluctant to promote my work without being represented by a reputable publisher. So in 1989, I signed up for a three year period with a distributor/agent who helped get my work into 200 galleries throughout Ontario. Eventually my goal was to become self-publishing and distributing, and this dream became a reality.

I feel very fortunate to have been afforded a career that supported my creative side and provided the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.