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JUST WHO IS THIS VELVET CANVAS CARETAKER ANYWAY?

So what do you want to know? I was born into an artistic family. My mom and father are both artists but my father's ability was awesome. My grandmother Rosella is a renowned NE Wisconsin watercolor artist. So I guess some of it rubbed off. I love to draw, paint and sculpt clay and have since I was very young. I realized very early that I wouldn't be able to feed myself on art alone so I pushed my artistic desires into "hobby" status and concentrated on my other love, that of electronics and computers. (Yeah, I thought a lot about the future when I was young. Must be my step-dad's influence/wisdom.)

I joined the US Air Force when I was 17. I wanted to help fight the evil empire (USSR) back then. My plan was to spend a quick 20 years, retire, then be a full-time artist. Well, that was the plan.

I started my career as a Medical Laboratory Technician. I attended Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX to get an MT degree. The Air Force changed my mind when they made forced me to be a computer programmer instead. They shipped me off to Randolph AFB, TX where I met my wife, got a STEP promotion, and finished my Bachelors Degree at Texas Lutheran University.

Once my degree was finished, I earned a commission and have been to Biloxi MS, Colorado Springs, CO, Lajes, Azores Portugal and now I find myself back in San Antonio. I've been deployed to Baghdad Iraq where I learned to hate the Army. I'm currently on my 23rd year in service and will stay at least another 3 depending on if I make my next rank and where they send me. But did you really want to know about my military life?

What's really important to me, besides my wife Connie, son Aidan and kittens Ming and Neko, is developing and growing as an artist. It's what I'm wired to do. The military gig is great, puts food on the table, but when I retire, it's the artist's life for me.

What am I good at? Well, you'll see a lot of ink drawings on this site. I've the most experience with that medium. I enjoy acrylic painting, although I don't do enough of it and I enjoy charcoal landscapes. I'm fairly good at portraits but would like to be better. I'm not good at oil painting. It scares me. I've done it before but having to wait for the paint to dry is very frustrating. I do love how it can be blended and it does seem more vibrant but nuts to that. I'll stick to my plastic paints, especially with a toddler running about.

Future goals? A BFA and/or MFA, own a car capable of 180 mph, obtain a pilot's license, see my grandchildren, build a perfect house with a wood shop and art studio, and to survive my 44th year of life and my own stupidity. Want to know more, just e-mail me at byron@this site's address.