He was born in South Dakota and raised in Kansas and Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washburn University in 1978 and later attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982. He has been teaching at Swarthmore College for 23 years and is a Full Professor. He was awarded a Henry Luce Scholarship in 1985 and spent a year painting in Bali, Indonesia. Most recently, he was awarded the Thomas Benedict Clark Prize at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum of Fine Arts, New York, N.Y.