He would later pursue a degree in studio painting and drawing from Central Michigan University. It was at this time he fell in love with painting and was introduced to the masters of the photorealism movement like John Baeder, Richard Estes, and Robert Cottingham: all who would become massive influences to his future work. After years as a freelance artist and a studio coordinator for a non-profit art studio for adults with and without developmental disabilities, he would go on to receive a Master of Art in Teaching Visual Art from Columbia College Chicago. 

 “The urban landscape is my greatest passion. Sadly, it’s drastically changing. Whether it is an old neon sign, an abandoned space, or forgotten object, I am captivated by how years or decades of rust and decay slowly creep through the surface. While I do find something beautiful in the abandoned, this is not to dismiss the power of emotional neutrality. My work is urgent documentation. I am perfectly content in letting the object or scene speak for itself and let the narrative be up to the viewer. My objective is to capture the purest representation of the object or scene before someone else takes note of its rejected condition, and it is gone forever.”