I’m a Santa Fe artist creating Southwestern art that combines pyrography (drawing with fire) and watercolor on wood. My work is inspired by the animals, landscapes, plants, architecture, colors, and character of the American Southwest, and by the place I’m lucky enough to call home.

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I’ve been making art and working in design for most of my life. I studied Computer Art at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and spent much of my career as a designer and creative director. After moving to Santa Fe, my focus increasingly shifted toward fine art and a process that brought together drawing, painting, wood, and fire.

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Drawing with Fire

Each piece begins with the wood itself. I like allowing the grain, knots, and imperfections to become part of the finished artwork rather than simply treating the wood as a surface to cover. No two panels are exactly alike, and the character of the wood often influences how a piece develops.

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Using a hot wood-burning pen, I draw directly into the surface. Many of the patterns in my work are inspired by the natural camouflage, markings, and textures found in wildlife. I’m also influenced by vintage scientific illustration, tattoo art, and the shapes and patterns I see throughout the Southwestern landscape.

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Once the burning is complete, I add layers of watercolor while allowing plenty of the natural wood to remain visible. The color brings another dimension to the burned lines and wood grain, drawing from the turquoise, ochres, reds, golden grasses, evening skies, and sunlit earth of the Southwest.

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Inspired by the Southwest

Living outside Santa Fe has changed the way I see the landscape and the animals that inhabit it. Coyotes, ravens, rabbits, hawks, cactus, cottonwoods, mountains, and adobe structures have all found their way into my work. Some pieces are closely observed, others are more imagined, but they all come from my connection to this place.

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I’m constantly experimenting with new subjects, patterns, techniques, and ways of working with the wood. That sense of discovery is a big part of why I continue making art.

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Ultimately, I want my work to feel unmistakably Southwestern without simply documenting the Southwest - to capture some of the warmth, mystery, resilience, and personality that make this landscape so compelling.

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Awards & Recognition

2025 — Santa Fe Literary Review
Featured Visual Artist
Artist statement and The Crows Know published in the 2025 edition of the Santa Fe Literary Review.
Read the feature →

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2024 Illustrator’s Cup — First Place
Santa Fe Reporter
Awarded for Lobo Mexicano, pyrography and watercolor on wood.

Read the Santa Fe Reporter feature →