>> THE ARTISTS THAT I LOVE THE MOST ARE THE IMPRESSIONISTS AND GERMAN EXPRESSIONISTS, SO THAT'S ONE OF MY INSPIRATIONS, AND I'M SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THAT AND REPRESENTATIONAL PAINTING, AND I THINK IT FITS REAL WELL WITH MY SUBJECT MATTER, BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN IDENTIFY IT AND DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S OUTSIDE OF THEIR REALM OF UNDERSTANDING.

>> A LOT OF IT I PAINT FROM LIFE, LIKE LANDSCAPES AND RURAL THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO ANYTHING THAT I FIND INTERESTING THAT MIGHT MAKE A GOOD PAINTING.

YOU KNOW, AN EXPERIENCE OR AN EVENT, SOMETHING THAT I SEE IN THE STREET.

I MIGHT PULL THE CAR OVER AND COA LITTLE SKETCH REAL QUICK TO REMEMBER IT BY, BRING IT TO THE STUDIO, AND BLOW IT UP ON A CANVAS.

WHEN I WAS IN UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL, I MADE A LOT OF COLLAGES AND CONSTRUCTIONS, MOSTLY CUBIST COLLAGES FROM THE CUBIST PERIOD.

THEN WHEN I WENT TO GRAD SCHOOL I MET A PAINT WHO ARE DID FIGURATIVE PAINTING AND I GOT EXCITED ABOUT PAINTING AGAIN, SO I GOT STARTED ON FIGURATIVE PAINTINGS.

NOW I'M KIND OF HEADING BACK WHERE I STARTED WITH MAKING CONSTRUCTIONS AND COLLAGES AGAIN IN COMBINATION WITH PAINT, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN TO EXPLORE THE TECHNIQUE AGAIN.

THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS WHERE IT STARTED, FROM WHERE I GREW UP.

I NOTICED I BEEN THINKING ABOUT AND TAKING DRIVES TO GRAVEYARDS.

AND I DECIDED, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT GRAVEYARD, AND I WOULD HAVE SO MUCH FUN.

I GOT PAINTBRUSHES.

I DID HAVE A PAINTBRUSH.

JUST ODDS AND ENDS.

AND IT JUST SEEMS INTERESTING AND POETIC TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STEPS TO THE CHURCH -- TAKING THE STEPS, AS WE DO THROUGH LIFE.

IT'S FUN NOW BECAUSE I'M STILL NOT JUST TOTALLY NONOBJECTIVE.

I'M USING FIGURATIVE SUBJECT MATTER AND GLUING THINGS INTO THE PAINTING, AND IT'S MAKING AN INTERESTING COMBINATION.

A LOT OF THEM NOW ARE ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF TRASH AND PLASTICS, AND I THINK IT'S FUN AS AN ARTIST AND EXCITING TO EXPRESS PROBLEMS WE HAVE THAT NEED TO BE DEALT WITH, AND WE KNOW WE HAVE THEM.

BUT NOW WITH PLASTIC AND TRASH EVERYWHERE, I'M PICKING STUFF UP AND THINKING ABOUT MY NEXT PIECE AND MAYBE MAKING PAINTINGS OUT OF TRASH COMPLETELY IN THE FUTURE.

CHUNKS OF PLASTIC AND ANYTHING I FIND THAT CAN BE WORKED IN.

THAT I'M PAINTING ABOUT, I KNOW IT SO WELL, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN MY WORK.

YOU CAN SEE THE INTERSTATE I PAINTED HERE FROM ONE OF THE BRIDGES.

YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE FARMS, SOME OF THE PEOPLE, AND SOME OF THE SITUATIONS THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED.

I AM TELLING STORIES IN MY PAINTINGS, AND OF COURSE I EXAGGERATE TO MAKE THEM MORE INTERESTING.

THAT'S PART OF BEING AN ARTIST IS EXAGGERATION FOR THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT.

I HAVE BEEN HERE IN ZANESVILLE SINCE ABOUT 1985, AFTER AGOT OUT OF GRAD SCHOOL AND OUT OF THE ARMY.

AND I GUESS I GOT ADDICTED TO THE OLD BUILDINGS HERE.

I HAD A STUDIO DOWN HERE.

IT'S BEEN TORN DOWN SINCE, BUT THEN I STARTED BUYING BUILDINGS.

I JUST LOVE PUT OLD BUILDINGS TOGETHER, AND WHILE I'M PUTTING THE BUILDINGS TOGETHER, I'M WORKING ON PAINTING AT THE SAME TIME.

THAT'S HOW IT EVOLVED.

THEN I STARTED ASKING PAINTER FRIENDS TO JOIN ME, BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WAS ALONE HERE AND I NEEDED MORE HELP TO SAVE THE BUILDINGS.

SO EVENTUALLY I STARTED RECRUITING OTHER ARTISTS I MET IN SCHOOLS.

THERE'S A WHOLE VARIETY OF PAINTERS HERE AND SCULPTORS.

NOW WE HAVE QUITE A GROUP, AND I'M REALLY PROUD OF IT.

THE SUPPORT OF EACH OTHER IS REALLY GREAT, THE CAMARADERIE AND LOOKING AT EACH OTHERS' WORK AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT REHABBING OUR DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE WANTED IT, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL THE ARTISTS ALWAYS SEEM TO COME INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THIS, SEE THE POTENTIAL, IMAGINE WHAT IT COULD BE, AND IT ALL STARTS WITH IMAGINATION AND BUILD IT UP TO WHERE IT IS NOW.

I THINK THE PEOPLE OF ZANESVILLE ARE VERY DOWN TO EARTH AND HONEST, AND THEY SEEM TO APPRECIATE THE ARTIST COLONY, WHICH I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT.

THEY DON'T REJECT IT, THEY FIT RIGHT IN, AND THEY HAVE A GOOD TIME HERE.

I THINK WHEN THEY LOOK AT MY WORK, THEY IDENTIFY SOME ASPECT OF THEIR OWN LIFE THAT THEY RELATE TO, AND THEY'LL PONDER IT AND HOPEFULLY THINK ABOUT IT MORE OFTEN AND COME BACK AGAIN AND LOOK AGAIN AND STILL STAY INTERESTED IN IT.

WHEN YOU MAKE A GOOD POINTING THAT YOU THINK IS GOOD, IT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF PURPOSE, AND IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOUR DESTINY OR WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO WITH YOURSELF, AND THEN BEING IN SHOWS AND HAVING OTHER ARTISTS LIKE YOUR WORK IS VERY REWARDING.