I was born in Casper Wyoming in 1979 and was named after my Czech American grandfather. Being raised in western Idaho on a small Hereford ranch the outdoors and wildlife were always readily accessible to me and showed up in my artwork when I first started drawing at the age of six. Although there were no artists in my family my parents were enthusiastic supporters of my desire to become an artist from the very beginning which proved vital to my growth as an artist.

At twelve years old I was awarded second place in the Idaho Youth Aviation Art competition. As a high school student in 1997 and1998 I took first in Idaho for the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest and placed fifth on the national level both years. During high school I sold some art work at a small show and occasionally painted commissioned work.

My formal art training started in 2001 at Brigham Young University- Idaho where Leon Parson, Gerald Griffin, Gregg Bjorn Thorkelson and other faculty members continue to be a great influence in my training as a painter. When I first started college had the intention of becoming an architect, but on a school trip to the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Wyoming I saw the work of Carl Rungius, Bob Kuhn, Ken Carlson and Thomas Moran. I was re-awakened to the fact that I must become a Wildlife artist. Success in any other field didn’t mean much to me from that point on even if it meant financial struggle. With the selfless support of my wife I made the decision to change majors and have been painting since then every chance I get.

I started my art business in 2003 and have worked on commissioned canvases and murals to pay the bills. In the way of shows I have been accepted to The Kimball Arts Festival in Park City, Utah, the Phippin Museum show in Prescott Arizona and the Arts for the Parks at the Jackson Lake Lodge in 2005 and 2006.

Currently my art is for sale at Jack Dennis’s Wyoming Gallery in Jackson Wyoming, Art of Giving Gallery in Salt Lake City and the Hole in the Wall Gallery in Ennis Montana. As a painter of wildlife and landscapes I believe in working in the field; there is no substitute for first hand experience observing, interacting with and painting directly from nature. I believe that thousands of hours of this type of experience combined with a good traditional foundation in painting is the way to achieve my goals. I am improving daily and look forward to the future of my career with an increasing excitement that drives me to take every opportunity to paint. Every challenge is one step away from its solution. That step involves education and work.