All About Me

Where do I start with this? I love to talk but unlike a lot of people not a whole lot about myself. But since there is an about me page here, I suppose there should be some content, right?

I am 70 years old, retired and live by myself. I have 6 daughters and 1 son, 5 grandsons, 3 granddaughters and 2 great-granddaughters.

I spent time in the US Navy and did have some experiences there which I may cover further on this page as these contribute to the reasons why I have taken up art. I spent almost 20 years a a boat captain running everything from sport fishing boats to small tug boats. I spent almost another 20 years in the Internet eCommerce field building websites, becoming a strategic buyer for a major Internet eCommerce company and eventually ran my own business selling on the Internet where I became very proficient selling products on my own websites, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart and an assortment of other marketing channels. Eventually my health and age of course, became such that I had to retire.

Being retired left me not a lot to do to be honest and the free time that I did have allowed chronic PTSD to manifest itself to the point that the Veterans Administration has rated me as being 100% Permanently and Totally Service Connected Disabled. In addition, my health has been going downhill for quite a number of years primarily due to exposure to Agent Orange while in the Navy during the Vietnam War with my ship handling the stuff and being within the waters contaminated by it. I am considered to be 100% Permanently and Totally Service Connected Disabled because of this as well. (Wish they added it all up and paid me as if it were 200%, but they do not do that, there is a special extra compensation for having the the though as well as a few other low rated disabilities).

So, it was suggested that I take up a hobby to help me stay out of my own mind so to speak, so that I did not go to places where I did not wish to go. So, one day, I picked up some paper, some pain and brushes that had been gifted to me. This was in August 2023. I have been hard pressed to put down my brush since and here on this website, you are able to see some of the fruits of my efforts.

By all means, feel free to shoot me an email if you have questions, comments or suggestions. I will do my best to respond as expeditiously as I am able.