About
Thanks to all of you who have shown interest in my artwork. I'm a native Florida artist, offering original oil paintings and limited reproductions of Florida wildlife fine art.
If you’re like me, you love Florida’s beautiful wildlife. I was born here, my wife and I raised a family here, and I still love it more than ever. I created this collection of original oil paintings to celebrate that beauty, and raise awareness about conservation. I’ve tried to capture it all—from our sun-splashed manatees, to the subtle pastels of the spoonbills, to the vibrant colors of our reef fish. Now you can bring this original artwork into your home, and a portion of your purchase will go to support Florida conservation. Thanks again to all who have encouraged me in this journey; please explore the notes in the main gallery, and contact me if you have any questions about my artwork.
Q&A
Most frequent questions and answers
It all started when I began drawing wildlife when I was a child. I started scribbling with a pencil, then my parents gave me huge pads of paper and I started filling them up with fish, birds, reptiles… I was crazy about animals of all types. By the time I got to high school the teachers had me painting murals on the walls in their classrooms. So I guess you could say it’s been a life-long obsession, lol.
Yes, I am a graduate of the Art Institutes; the campus I went to was in Ft. Lauderdale, they are currently operating campuses in Tampa and Miami, along with six others in Texas, Georgia and Virginia. I studied art under Mimi Botscheller, Jim Radford and Maurice Lareau, among others. After graduating AIFL, I pursued a career in advertising design, but I have always wanted to return to creating wildlife fine art.
Well, I’m actually comfortable working in other mediums like acrylics and watercolor too. For me, I guess it just feels like oils give me more time to work than acrylics, and they are more forgiving than transparent watercolor. The only barrier with oils was the dangerous fumes from turpentine, mineral spirits, etc. But I adapted to a solvent-free studio a while back, so that’s no longer an issue. Oils on canvas can be murder on brushes though, lol.
Sure, there have been many. But most recently I would say the late John Carroll Doyle, definitely. For both style and subject matter. The art world is not as bright without John, but thankfully we still have his work.
Invasive Species Alert
Florida wildlife is under major threat from invasive species
With 700 different species of freshwater and land vertebrates—plus even more invertebrates and marine species—Florida hosts one of the highest biologically diverse habitats in North America. Florida is also home to endemics that are found nowhere else in the world, including the Florida scrub-jay and the Key deer, among others. Florida is the final refuge for some animals; for example—after being hunted to extinction in other states—the Florida Panther is currently making its last stand here, now occupying less than 5 percent of its historic range.
Like many states, Florida has a ‘checkered past’ when it comes to conservation, so now we have over 100 imperiled species listed as endangered, threatened, or species of special concern. Many of these animals have faced terrible challenges—some were nearly wiped off the face of the earth. Thanks to help from federal, state and volunteer efforts, they have fought their way back, but now Florida’s wildlife faces a new and deadly threat from giant invasive pythons and other exotic invaders, which are literally devouring our beautiful birds and terrestrial mammals by the thousands. Look closely—that’s a Great Blue Heron being eaten in the photo.
Do the math
According to the USGS, a recent study showed that in some areas “populations of raccoons had dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent, and bobcats 87.5 percent… marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared.” And it’s not just pythons; we now have invasive Nile monitor lizards and tegus devouring the eggs and young birds in our rookeries, impacting the next generation of wildlife.
The mission is simple
It isn’t hard to see where we’re headed. We simply can’t afford to sit back and let this happen to Florida’s native species. Obviously this is a battle worth winning, and to win it we must help in the fight. The mission here at Florida Wild Fine Art is simple: Illustration. Education. Conservation. If my art can get others to appreciate wildlife, learn more about it, then we may be one step closer to protecting it.
Thanks for your interest in my artwork—I hope it inspires you to learn more and help protect Florida’s wildlife.
