Growing up in a household with two artist parents was, to say the least, a dream come true, for I was born with the artist spirit and blossomed well under their creative nurturing. My father, Wayne K. Blickenstaff , currently a writer, was an illustrator and fine artist in the “hey day” of commercial illustration before photography became the popular mode of advertising and made life difficult for the illustrators. Magically he managed to support our family and give myself and my two brothers a good artistic foundation. My mother, Betty Evans Cook, was (and is still) a fine artist and filled my head with all sorts of creative ideas through her own overflowing creativity.

Throughout my early years I had numerous art instructions from my parents and other professionals and eventually attended Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia for a year and a half in the mid-seventies. Immediately after my stint in college I headed to Colorado and began my art career in earnest.

My professional career has spanned twenty seven years so far and has included illustration, graphic design, mural painting, teaching, and fine art. Portraiture has remained my passion and become my specialty. Whatever the environing conditions of life, you can always find me behind an “art desk” of one kind or another, be it an easel, a camera lens or a computer!

Through art, my goal is to express two things: reverence for all forms of life and the loving relationships which they form, and recognition of the light and love that pervades all.

There is a quality of light and color in my work which I believe comes from a lifetime of observation. Not just observation of color and reflected light - physical things - but an observation of the way in which life “moves” and the way in which people express themselves - who they really are underneath the exterior. It also comes from a lifetime of meditation which puts me in touch with a vast reservoir of creative energy - the source of my artistic ability. I am a very spiritually motivated person and perhaps this is the reason why people tell me my portraits and figurative works have a common thread of love, intimacy and nurturing in them. You can find a description of my area of interest at this website: Share-International.org.