My Artful Life

Growing up in a small farming community in Indiana, I learned to draw early in life. I sketched portraits at county fairs and illustrations in weekly papers. 

Fortunately, several great art teachers in high school and college gave me a great foundation to learn to draw fluidly from life. Graduating with an arts minor in the middle of an economic crisis, I left my art behind for many years. An afternoon art class while on vacation opened an affinity for watercolor. The result of that amazing afternoon opened to door for first an avocation in watercolor art.  For the past 10 years, I've exhibited and helped organize the Occasional Artist Show which benefits the North Point Lighthouse Museum. 

My painting of the “Lion Bridge in Spring” was part of the Villa Terrace Museum’s “In the Park with Olmsted: A Vision for Milwaukee” Show which celebrated the 200th anniversary of Olmsted. "

Approaching Lion Bridge" was accepted in the Wisconsin Watercolor 2021-22 exhibit in the Racine Art Museum's Wustum Museum and in the American Watercolor Society’s 2022 Associate Member Show. In 2025, I had a solo exhibition at Villa Terrace.

I'm a member of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society and an Associate member of the American Watercolor Society. 

I managed Lily Pad Gallery West in Milwaukee’s Third Ward from 2024 to 2026. In April 2026, Karen Ellenbecker and I purchased Lily Pad Gallery which was rebranded JK Art House. We moved the gallery to a large and beautiful space at 191 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI in May 2026.