Compared to many artists, I am relatively new to the field of glass art. Although I have been fascinated by fire and glass blowing since I was a child, I did not start my journey as a glass artist until 2010. A visit to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington finally convinced me that life was too short to delay acting on my passion. I took a one-hour class on bead making while visiting the museum and began building a glass studio at my home in San Pedro shortly thereafter. I retired from ocean pollution research in 2020 and now spend my time making glass art and helping raise two beautiful grandchildren.
My glass art differs from many other artists in that it emerges from a scientific perspective. I strive to capture the elegance of form and incredible complexity of design in living things, based on my background in marine biology, physiology, toxicology, and ecology. My work seeks to use the special qualities of glass (transparency, fragility, strength, and color) to portray nature in a realistic and artful way that evokes a sense of wonder and appreciation in the viewer. I exhibit my work at the San Pedro Art Association Gallery in San Pedro and at art fairs in southern California. |
Marine Pollution research
I retired in 2020 from a 40-year career conducting research on the effects of pollution on the coastal marine life of southern California. I was the head of the Toxicology Department for the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, one of the premier public research agencies in the US. One of my main areas of research was to develop better ways to measure the effects of pollution on the health of the organisms living in ocean sediments.
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FamilyHere is my family. Daughter Maile with her husband Alfredo. Not shown are two granddaughters, Sofia and Amelia. Next to me is my wife Cathy, a retired community college marine biology instructor.
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