A simple life,,,Lived well and well lived,,,
biogragh
There are many ways to tell the same story,,,
and each one valid,,,
with all the people included yet not mentioned by name,,, each would have their own telling,,,
What does one write about themselves,,, whatever it is ,,, make it short,,, leave the details to those others,,,
Briefly ,,, I have been carving most of my life,,, when I started is only a guess now,,, somewhere around the age of 7 or 8,,, AT this time it was discovered that I was severely limited in my sight,,,I got my first pair of glasses,,, I was astounded at what I was now able to see,,, the rocks and pebbles at my feet,,, BEAUTIFUL,,, around this time I started to draw,,,
I took painting classes one summer when i was 13,,, hated it, interfered with summer, it frustrated me,,, Being very near sighted ( blind without glasses) i found it impossible to see things clear enough to depict them accurately, the corrective lenses distorted the things i saw,,, so i dropped painting and concentrated on carving,,, 50 years later,,, I had the gift of sight given me through surgery,,, implanted lens ,,, now for the very first time in my life I could see well enough to paint,,, So now i have added that to the skills i hope to develop...
The carving and other woodworking methods still continue to compel me in it's various process's and as a medium,,,Now painting has certainly become a larger focus ,,,
I paint the world as I have spent the last 60 years observing,,, The ground at my feet,,, Though now i can finally see the world on a larger scale and perspective, i still choose to paint what it is i have spent my life looking at, the ground,,, as well as the environment that encompasses much of my time,,, the bush, surrounding the immediate area around my home just outside Campbell River on Vancouver Island,,,
HISTORY
My life has taken many turns throughout it's time,,, Some steps are like anyone else's some uniquely my own,,, I was born May 25th, 1954 in Vancouver, BC, Canada
My father worked as a Millwright in the sawmill industry throughout BC and was a skilled man. My mother, small in frame and huge in heart. My siblings all younger than I, two sisters, two brothers in that order,,, We were a blue collar family, hard workers, hard drinkers, fun loving bunch, all potentially volatile,,, Life at home was not always safe but always passionate. We lived on the edge of abject poverty violence alcoholism drifting along behind my father as quietly as possible... Many times we moved from one community to the next sometimes into a one or two bedroom cabin or house, for a family of 7 these where very hard times,,, We just stuggled to get along and cope as best we could during these difficult times,,, I ran away from home at 15 with everything i owned and my dreams in a duffle bag... .
At 15 the world was huge and my chances where small,,, I didn't know anything much about anything,,, Only that i was free, and that was something to hang onto. What ever happened would happen and i wanted to see and do it all,,,
I joined the Militia for the summer, then a Circus and traveled mostly the states, mostly illegally,,, when i almost got beat to death had to leave, all busted up and broke,,, did a week and a half in jail for stealing a coat in -45 degrees that Manitoba winter,,, i was looking at 2 years in federal prison for stealing a coat worth $55.00, anything over $50 dollars in those days it was considered grand theft, ,,,i was a juvenile, i got lucky ,,, all charges were dropped ... i went home for a bit, worked on a farm then in a sawmill then ran away again to California, worked a bit painting houses, mostly drank and drugged... Had to leave California after an accident without medical insurance... Came back to work the orchards of the Okanagan, a little construction, and sawmills,,, met a girl,,,Got married for the first time had two children, went back to try school again, failed and ran away again,,, tried Farrier school,,, made it,,, Didn't like it,,, worked the sawmills, bars, Met a girl, retail in hardware, construction then sobered up and got clean,,, Ouch ,,, Everything changed it got worse it got real,,,Had to leave the girl ,,,she wanted babies and a home,,,I decided she should have that chance ,,, I decided to be an ARTIST,,, I had no idea what that meant and it took along while to figure it out. I had no training of any kind no money, a very few skills. I could draw fairly decently, though couldn't paint worth a damn, i could carve wood a bit and enjoyed carving,,, so I carved and starved,,, literally ,,,and was fairly happy doing just that,,, it was the staying sober part i struggled with and somehow by the grace of GOD i did,,, met a girl,,, moved to Vancouver left the girl,,, worked for welfare by day and as a cleaner in a hospital by night,,,got back with the girl moved to Wells BC went bankrupt,,, worked 6 years in Barkersville ,,, Married the girl, bought a house, a church, an empty lot and another house, had two children, opened a gallery. Sold it all,,, Left Wells, moved to The Okanagan, bought a house, divorced the girl left the family and home,,, had a drink,, quit,,, opened another Gallery,,, worked construction when that failed, then worked in a glass plant,,, met another girl moved back to the Island,,,went bankrupt again, promptly left the girl ,,,worked construction till I cut the end off one finger and buggered up another one ,,, Went to school at the Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking,,,Liked it,,, While all that was happening,,, I got together with Dee and we got married bought a house and shop on a 1/2 acre,,, started this JOURNAL,,, if you go though the many pages in the menu you will see how i spend my life now,,,Mostly painting an still working with wood in as many ways that i can, looking after all the renovations and repairs and property chores,,, Family is a big thing now. life is very good thank GOD... it is not the end ,,, YET ,,, Just a simple life,,, nothin fancy,,,
and each one valid,,,
with all the people included yet not mentioned by name,,, each would have their own telling,,,
What does one write about themselves,,, whatever it is ,,, make it short,,, leave the details to those others,,,
Briefly ,,, I have been carving most of my life,,, when I started is only a guess now,,, somewhere around the age of 7 or 8,,, AT this time it was discovered that I was severely limited in my sight,,,I got my first pair of glasses,,, I was astounded at what I was now able to see,,, the rocks and pebbles at my feet,,, BEAUTIFUL,,, around this time I started to draw,,,
I took painting classes one summer when i was 13,,, hated it, interfered with summer, it frustrated me,,, Being very near sighted ( blind without glasses) i found it impossible to see things clear enough to depict them accurately, the corrective lenses distorted the things i saw,,, so i dropped painting and concentrated on carving,,, 50 years later,,, I had the gift of sight given me through surgery,,, implanted lens ,,, now for the very first time in my life I could see well enough to paint,,, So now i have added that to the skills i hope to develop...
The carving and other woodworking methods still continue to compel me in it's various process's and as a medium,,,Now painting has certainly become a larger focus ,,,
I paint the world as I have spent the last 60 years observing,,, The ground at my feet,,, Though now i can finally see the world on a larger scale and perspective, i still choose to paint what it is i have spent my life looking at, the ground,,, as well as the environment that encompasses much of my time,,, the bush, surrounding the immediate area around my home just outside Campbell River on Vancouver Island,,,
HISTORY
My life has taken many turns throughout it's time,,, Some steps are like anyone else's some uniquely my own,,, I was born May 25th, 1954 in Vancouver, BC, Canada
My father worked as a Millwright in the sawmill industry throughout BC and was a skilled man. My mother, small in frame and huge in heart. My siblings all younger than I, two sisters, two brothers in that order,,, We were a blue collar family, hard workers, hard drinkers, fun loving bunch, all potentially volatile,,, Life at home was not always safe but always passionate. We lived on the edge of abject poverty violence alcoholism drifting along behind my father as quietly as possible... Many times we moved from one community to the next sometimes into a one or two bedroom cabin or house, for a family of 7 these where very hard times,,, We just stuggled to get along and cope as best we could during these difficult times,,, I ran away from home at 15 with everything i owned and my dreams in a duffle bag... .
At 15 the world was huge and my chances where small,,, I didn't know anything much about anything,,, Only that i was free, and that was something to hang onto. What ever happened would happen and i wanted to see and do it all,,,
I joined the Militia for the summer, then a Circus and traveled mostly the states, mostly illegally,,, when i almost got beat to death had to leave, all busted up and broke,,, did a week and a half in jail for stealing a coat in -45 degrees that Manitoba winter,,, i was looking at 2 years in federal prison for stealing a coat worth $55.00, anything over $50 dollars in those days it was considered grand theft, ,,,i was a juvenile, i got lucky ,,, all charges were dropped ... i went home for a bit, worked on a farm then in a sawmill then ran away again to California, worked a bit painting houses, mostly drank and drugged... Had to leave California after an accident without medical insurance... Came back to work the orchards of the Okanagan, a little construction, and sawmills,,, met a girl,,,Got married for the first time had two children, went back to try school again, failed and ran away again,,, tried Farrier school,,, made it,,, Didn't like it,,, worked the sawmills, bars, Met a girl, retail in hardware, construction then sobered up and got clean,,, Ouch ,,, Everything changed it got worse it got real,,,Had to leave the girl ,,,she wanted babies and a home,,,I decided she should have that chance ,,, I decided to be an ARTIST,,, I had no idea what that meant and it took along while to figure it out. I had no training of any kind no money, a very few skills. I could draw fairly decently, though couldn't paint worth a damn, i could carve wood a bit and enjoyed carving,,, so I carved and starved,,, literally ,,,and was fairly happy doing just that,,, it was the staying sober part i struggled with and somehow by the grace of GOD i did,,, met a girl,,, moved to Vancouver left the girl,,, worked for welfare by day and as a cleaner in a hospital by night,,,got back with the girl moved to Wells BC went bankrupt,,, worked 6 years in Barkersville ,,, Married the girl, bought a house, a church, an empty lot and another house, had two children, opened a gallery. Sold it all,,, Left Wells, moved to The Okanagan, bought a house, divorced the girl left the family and home,,, had a drink,, quit,,, opened another Gallery,,, worked construction when that failed, then worked in a glass plant,,, met another girl moved back to the Island,,,went bankrupt again, promptly left the girl ,,,worked construction till I cut the end off one finger and buggered up another one ,,, Went to school at the Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking,,,Liked it,,, While all that was happening,,, I got together with Dee and we got married bought a house and shop on a 1/2 acre,,, started this JOURNAL,,, if you go though the many pages in the menu you will see how i spend my life now,,,Mostly painting an still working with wood in as many ways that i can, looking after all the renovations and repairs and property chores,,, Family is a big thing now. life is very good thank GOD... it is not the end ,,, YET ,,, Just a simple life,,, nothin fancy,,,
