About DLS

I was drawn to beauty from a very young age. Butterflies, birds, animals, the forest, water, and sky fascinated me. I was constantly observing and analyzing God’s amazing creations.

By the age of eight, much of my spare time was already devoted to creative projects. When I wasn’t playing sports, I was drawing, designing, and experimenting with ideas, ranging from realistic illustration and architectural drawing to surrealism, which became a lasting influence on my work.

At eleven, I discovered oil painting and began painting primarily landscapes. Over the years my interests expanded into many subjects, styles, and mediums. Although oil and watercolor remain my preferred mediums, I have continued to work in pen and ink and mixed media, and enjoy etching and engraving. I seek a variety of subject matter and painting styles. I consider myself a surrealist at heart, but also have a strong traditional side and a deep appreciation for precise realism, observation, and illustration.

I received Best of Show in a high school art competition in my hometown of Salem, Oregon, and later attended Western Oregon for three years, where I studied art and psychology while also playing baseball. Although I was mostly self-taught, I was fortunate to study watercolor under Leo James Kirk, a true master, and oil painting under Larry Stobie, teachers who had a lasting influence on my development as an artist.

After marrying at twenty-six, my wife and I moved deep into Oregon’s national forest, where we still live today along a river with our wolfdogs. With the Oregon coast nearby, we are surrounded by forests, wildlife, and water, subjects that continue to inspire my work.

Life in Oregon

My wife Robin and I treasure life in the woods with our wolfdogs, and they do too. They have been a big part of our lives and have gone just about everywhere with us, from the forests and rivers around our home to the Oregon coast, and countless adventures in the truck.

Over the years they have also naturally become subjects of many of my paintings. Chiefta was one of those wolfdogs, and changed our lives forever. Because of the miracles surrounding Chiefta’s life and passing, we’ve dedicated the rest of our lives and resources to rescuing wolfdogs. Chiefta’s life, influence, and the amazing events surrounding his life and incredible passing inspired me to write the book Chiefta Be Big! One of the most amazing true stories ever told!

(Available on Amazon)

For a period I worked professionally as an artist and exhibited my work in galleries in Salem, McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. As gallery commissions continued to rise, in most cases to 50 percent, it became increasingly difficult, so I was forced to pursue other work.

I worked briefly on a llama farm, then in lumber mills, and later purchased a semi truck, spending nearly three decades on the road. Painting never disappeared. I painted whenever and wherever I could, often even working on my art in the truck.

Now, after more than fifty years of painting and studying art, I am returning my full attention to the passion that has followed me throughout my life.

At DLS Art Studio, I create original paintings in a variety of subjects and mediums, with a special focus on fine-art pet portraits.

My goal is not simply to reproduce a photograph, but instead to develop a thoughtful strategy using the elements and principles of design to create a composition with atmosphere, color relationships, and balance. Accurate likeness and character remain essential, but I also consider light, reflected color, depth, and the relationship between the subject and its surroundings. When the subject calls for it, the painting can also preserve a time and place.

Every painting is created entirely by hand and approached as an individual work of art.