Terry's biography

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As the embodiment of a modern-day Renaissance Man, and in the pursuit of happiness, my journeys have taken me far and wide. Living my life as an adventure, I love to travel and have lived all over the US, the Caribbean and in New Zealand. I enjoy participating in the color and flavor of various cultures to broaden my mind and to increasing my knowledge of the world around me. I'm most at home trekking through the woods or in the mountains. My money and my mouth support foundations such as The Sierra Club and Greenpeace. If the call of the wild isn't grabbing me at the moment, then I can usually be found at the movies, in a museum or on my bicycle.

My artwork and photography has exhibited in various galleries, and I'm currently working for myself creating an animated feature film. It should be completed by the spring of 2009 - if not sooner. Depends on how self-disciplined I am and how long the money lasts.

I've designed and build recumbent bicycles and camera dollies, am a carpenter by trade (totally gutted my home and rebuilt it using my own architectural designs - view the kitchen), specialized as a medical illustrator/animator, occasionally work a season here and there as an archaeologist (with a specialty as an osteoarchaeologist - reconstruct and study the human skeleton in archaeological settings) and generally enjoy creating and developing things from my prolific imagination.

Even more detailed story to keep you entertained.

At the dawn of time, in the early 1960's, my parents cavorted on top of a refrigeration unit and ten months later (yes, ten) out I sprang into the world. There in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, with the temperature hovering around 24 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (superfluous info, but I thought it was cool – pun intended) I began my sojourn as a restless soul.

A few years later, our roots would be ripped out of the fertile, black soil of Ohio to be transplanted into the red clay of east Texas. While not a bad place all in all, especially if you enjoy the rich aroma of petroleum processing plants, Longview, Texas, provided me with a high school diploma and a determination to be anywhere except this armpit of the world.

Always wanting to be wherever I'm not, my journeys have taken me far and wide. With just enough coin of the realm to keep me in Fujichrome and Oreos, I would explore strange new worlds to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where I'd never been before (feel free to hum the Star Trek theme music here).

I pursued various avenues of employment that provided the capital so that I could continue to refine my craft as an artist. My film career began with the University of Southern California where I quickly ran out of funds. I traveled all over the States, working and saving money for my triumphant return to higher education, while all the time snapping a photo here and there – and a few in between.

As a citizen of the Republic of Texas, I discovered the advantageous tuition rates for in-state institutions (Colleges, that is. Although, they do have wonderful places with nice drugs and white, long-sleeved jackets where you can go and rest - so I've been told). Tens of thousands of dollars lighter, I emerged with a Bachelors of Science degree in Film Production and a good hone to my still photography skills. Employment suitable to my penchant eluded me, so I returned to the comforts of academia whereby I obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in Archaeology. During this time, I wrote my first novel "Wandering the Jagged Road" . Anyway, the government hired me straight away to work in the National Forests in northeast California.

Later, I relocated to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where an unusual prospect to pursue my craft befell me. My specialty, osteoarchaelogy (the study of the human skeleton in archaeological sites) provided a unique approach to photography. Namely, scientific photography. Adding my special way of seeing, my artistic flare, to an otherwise dry, exacting form of rendering images proved to be a boon to my vocation. Alas, after a couple years, funding evaporated into the ethos.

I had fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest, and promptly took the opportunity to move to Oregon. After spending all that money on my education, I finally utilized my first degree when I landed a job for a small-market television station as a commercial producer. As the only one in the Coos Bay, Oregon, office, I also acted as director, writer, director of photography (the guy who set the lights, selects the placement of the camera, etc.), editor…. It was here that I looked upon my still photography and saw that it was good.

Others though so too. My photos began winning several awards, and I even received a one-man showing. My name became synonymous with a unique way of looking at the world. The weird drawings I created during this prolific period also garnered me some recognition and, thankfully to my cavernous stomach, some sales. This style would also be the beginnings of my "Rust & Ruins" series.

If you want it, go for it, fight for it and stick to it. - Terry

The completion of "The Art of Rust & Ruins" series came about after my move to Atlanta, Georgia. Ostensibly, I moved there to get married, but we never even got to "I do." For the next few years I worked as an animator and illustrator of medical procedures, (yes, I am the Renaissance Man). Living in an area of the country totally new to me, I began my wandering ways again. Almost every weekend saw me out exploring some new corner of the Southeast. With its rich heritage, the region was ripe for both rust and for ruins. I round out my photography by encompassing some breathtaking landscapes and fascinating architectural shots – some of which I'm sure you already (or want to) own!

Upon reaching my 40th birthday, my mid-life crisis went far beyond buying some flashy sports car. I went out and purchased a house! The ink wasn't even dry on the mortgage papers when I began ripping up carpet (to get at the hardwood flooring beneath). I would spend the next three years gutting and rebuilding my home into a beautiful, Frank Lloyd Wright, Green & Green and Mies van der Rohe inspired masterpiece. It was even featured in a parade of homes. The room that everyone really loved – and so did I – was the movie theatre I build in the basement. Complete with a 60 inch screen, proscenium, curtains, huge speakers, hardwood walls and detailing, it was the cherry on a dream home.

But things evolve. My passion has always been film and movie making, so I sold everything to pursue my dream. As a testament to the quality, passion and exceptional work I did on my house, it sold in four days! With script and audio in hand (some very wonderful actors did a superb job acting out my words), I packed up my computer and moved to New Zealand – after a short foray back to the Modoc National Forest in northeastern California work once again employ my archaeological skills. If you ever need a place to relax and get a brain massage, I highly recommend Modoc County – where the sheep outnumber the humans. Like New Zealand!

Transplanted to the other side of the world ("seeing the Southern Cross for the first time"), I'm working – if you can call it working – harder than any of my previous employers ever dared to push me. However, it is wonderful to have both figuratively and literally thrown my alarm clock away. Drawing. Planning shot sequences. Animating. My life is my film as I create a new world from the depths of my imagination. Soon, in the geological sense of the word, my animated feature will spring forth to be enjoyed by the rest of the world! But the adventure continues. In preparation for my next major sojourn, I'm studying Italian. There's gotta be a second feature to pay for all the traveling I want to do!

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