Not long ago I was going through my parents’ belongings and found a letter my dad had written to Santa Claus when he was eight years old. It was a really long letter trying to convince Santa he had been a good boy throughout the entire year. He wanted two things … a fishing pole and a Kodak. The request for the camera might explain my inherited passion for photography. For years I was satisfied with just clicking the shutter and recording my surroundings. After moving to Austin in the early 90’s I met a like-minded group of photographers. We were all in need of not only clicking the shutter but creating art. So … my darkroom journey began. Soon thereafter, I began exhibiting my work throughout the country in both juried and invitational exhibitions. My images are now included in both public and private collections. My personal work moved out of the darkroom about ten years ago. I currently shoot digitally, preferring the camera on my iPhone. Still finding the need to create with my hands, I use both the encaustic process and am currently gilding images printed on Japanese kozo paper. My need for experimentation and creativity continues to drive me on.