Bio
I grew up in both Iowa and Illinois along the Mississippi River. I was introduced to art and clay at a young age. I remember ordering drawing books and pencils from a magazine, and how excited I was when they came. However, I knew at a young age I wanted to join the Marine Corps; I did right after high school.
I was stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA, in Bravo Company, 1/1, a Zodiac company, known as the Raiders. We were a SOC unit. SOC is an acronym for Special Operations Capabilities unit. I was with the Raiders for 2 years; I was also part of a small, elite unit as an Assault Climber. About a month after returning from my first deployment, I deployed with the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion as a Scout. We deployed in August 1990, the beginning of Desert Shield, the first Gulf War.
My unit suffered loss during Desert Shield. And my platoon, our wing vehicle, was hit by friendly fire, killing all four Marines during an attack by Iraqi forces. Our unit was the first to enter Kuwait City, and we retook Kuwait International Airport. However, I left the Marine Corps after a challenging, tense, yet rewarding four years. I was burned out after continuous training and back-to-back deployments. I received an honorable discharge in September 1992.
Soon after I got out, I attended a community college in Moline, IL, and was reintroduced to clay. I found the wheel very therapeutic, but I was very restless and coping with the impact and brutality of war, and now, being a civilian, I felt lost.
In 1993, I moved to Florida for a change and found a career. I started working in fine dining kitchens. I started at the bottom and quickly moved to running crews and kitchens. I loved the creative nature of the culinary arts and the pressure of working in a busy kitchen with high standards. The camaraderie of a well-oiled team of chefs reminded me of the military. In the restaurant business, I found a home for the time being. You work hard, but you also play hard, perfect. However, the best thing to happen to me in the business was meeting Mara.
At age 36, I was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. I thank God, my doctors, and my family for my recovery. The carcinogen found in the tumor was linked to the Gulf War. In 2014, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I attended therapy several times a week for nearly two years at the VA Hospital. I’m still trying to find that path straight through the middle.
Today, Mara and I live in Palm Beach County. We are proud parents of three, Tommy, a graduate from MICA, Lily, who is at SCAD, and our son Atticus, who is in an IB program in high school. All three brilliant and creative. I took 13 years off from clay after the lung cancer. In 2018, I returned to working with clay and established Finsbury Studio. In 2022, I began the MFA Studio Arts program at Florida Atlantic University. Mara practices law at a fantastic firm. I recently graduated with an MFA and opened Hatfield Studios. I will continue exhibiting my work locally, nationally, and internationally. I want to establish a relationship with local interior designers and hope to enrich my community in a variety of ways.
