Seems I was always drawing or painting something for someone ever since I can remember, whether it was a simple sketch, an elaborate drawing, or, a painting. Over the years I have worked with pencil, charcoal, pastels, watercolor, acrylics, and oils. My mediums have consisted of paper, canvas, old barn wood, hand saw blades, turkey feathers, and even the palm of a moose antler. I have also airbrushed snowmobile hoods and helmets. To this day, I get a greater reward painting and drawing at the request of others than I do painting for myself. While serving in the Marines from 1980 to 1995, I set down the paints and spent more time sketching caricatures of co-workers, and drawing cartoons. I didn’t return to painting until 2004, when a friend asked if I could paint a painting of his prized Ford Thunderbird. This lead to a few more paintings, requested by family and friends. In 2010, I came across a goose wing feather while walking my dog. I picked it up, ran my hand along the edge of the feather, and for reasons unknown, I thought, “I wonder if I can paint on this?” After it was done, I had offers to buy the feather, but, being unsure if I would be violating the Waterfowl Protection Act, I chose not to sell it. That’s when I turned to painting wild turkey feathers.
The feathers are from harvested birds taken during legal hunting seasons. Other than the application of paint, the feathers remain in their natural condition. I hope my paintings draw you in with their color and detail, and leave you intrigued, wondering “How does he paint on a feather, and I wonder if he can paint something for me?!”
Located in Waseca, Minnesota