I have been a practicing artist for many years, specializing in portraiture in pastels and oils. I also enjoy painting landscapes of Arkansas as well as places I visit. Many times these canvases are painted on location. My style is somewhat impressionistic but also realistic. My goal in a painting is to engage the viewer in a visual dialogue that the viewer wants to return to over and over.

My formal training comes from Louisiana Tech University and private studies with notable artists including: Bob Rohm of Dallas, Texas; the late Vena McAnnich of Little Rock Arkansas; Jim Shell of Atlanta, Georgia; and Guido Frick of Sonterswill, Switzerland. An intensive oil painting workshop in portraiture with Daniel Green has also influenced my work. I have taught portrait and landscape classes in Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia.

Juried shows where I have exhibited and won awards include the National Pastel Society of the Southwest; National Pastel Society of Arkansas; De Soto, Texas Annual Exhibit; and the Portrait Society of Atlanta, Georgia.

To showcase my work as well as a handful of other artists’ work, I opened up my own gallery. For five years I operated Hurst Gallery on Kavanaugh in Little rock, Arkansas. The gallery was a successful venture and people often told me it was their favorite gallery in the city. I specialized in photo realism, impressionism, expressionist, and some abstracts. Regular visitors to the gallery came from as far away as Alaska.

In 2009 I closed the Gallery to devote more time to painting. As much as I enjoyed the gallery and meeting the people that visited I can now devote full time to painting and teaching.

Portraiture continues to dominate my career as an artist. Last year I was commissioned by an Arkansas gentleman to paint 9 members of his family in oils. I still travel to Atlanta, Georgia to paint portraits of clients there. When possible I like to paint from the model but I also feel comfortable working from a photograph. Live sittings in the beginning stages of a painting and near the completion are invaluable to the likeness. So that the commissioned painting is enjoyed for years to come, I work closely with a client to ensure complete satisfaction.