Like Us
"I graduated from BYU-Idaho with a BFA in April 2015. From my time there I gained a deep appreciation of realism in art and discovered a passion for landscape painting. I experimented with Plein Air painting and found that the more time I spent outdoors, the more I wanted landscape to be a part of my life. I made a decision to devote my career to the study of nature through painting.
The faculty at BYU-Idaho gave me the traditional foundation I needed as a starting point for my passion. One teacher who was particularly influential was Albin Veselka who taught part-time and is an accomplished full-time painter. With his down-to-earth teaching style and vast knowledge of the arts, Albin gave me the knowledge and feedback my work needed, while allowing me to question and explore the many facets of painting. Albin’s teachings have been invaluable to me and continue to influence me as an artist.
Spending time out in nature is a necessity for me, both as an artist and as a human being. I think John Muir said it best when writing about the Sierra Nevada Mountain passes, “They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action. Even the sick should try these so-called dangerous passes, because for every unfortunate they kill, they cure a thousand.” Going forward in my career as an artist, I want my work to capture nature and its idiosyncrasies. I hope that by doing so I can remind people about the real world that surrounds them."
Awards & Recognition
2019 3rd Place, Sedona Plein Air Festival, Arizona
2019 Plein Air Utah Presenter
2019 1st Place, Spring City Plein Air Festival, Utah
2019 “Artist to Watch” Article in May Issue of Southwest Art Magazine
2019 New Visions Art Show with Illume Gallery, Utah
2019 Plein Air Salon, December-January, Winner of Best Artist Under 30
for “Cauldron Linn”
2019 Plein Air Salon, December-January, Winner of Best Oil for “Zion
Sculpture”
2018 Plein Air Magazine Award “Best of Plein Air”
- Zion Plein Air Invitational
2018 Participant in 2018 Zion Plein Air Invitational
2018 People's Choice, Spring City Plein Air Festival, Utah
2018 Honorable Mention, Spring City Plein Air Festival, Utah
2018 Grand Prize, Driggs Plein Air Festival, Idaho
2018 2nd Place Quick Draw, Driggs Plein Air Festival, Idaho
2018 New Visions Art Show with Illume Gallery, Utah
2017 Where in the World is Plein Air with Authentique Gallery, Utah
2017 New Visions Art Show with Illume Gallery, Utah
2017 Honorable Mention, Spring City Plein Air Festival, Utah
2016 1st Place, Driggs Plein Air Festival, Idaho
2016 March Emerging-Artist Winner, Art Muse Online Contest
2016 Slusser Gallery, Spring Exhibition, Utah
2015 Honorable Mention, Driggs Plein Air Festival, Idaho
2014 1st Place, Winters Plein Air Festival, California
2013 Merit Art Award, Brigham Young University-Idaho
