Artist Statement
I grew up in Charlestown, RI in the 60’s and received a BFA in theatre from URI. My father was John D. Lutes a marine artist and art teacher. There seemed to be a constant flow of different artists visiting my childhood home, and I am certain I was influenced to follow my life in the arts because of this early exposure to creativity. My first love was always drawing and painting, but pursued a life in show business. After years of working in NYC in plays, commercials, soaps and indie films, I moved to Los Angeles in 1995 and quickly landed a role on prime time TV which would greatly enhance my career. I played Tom Duran – the gay station manager on Frasiers’s Matchmaker episode which was listed in TV guide as one of the top 100 all time best tv episodes. After which many guest star parts on TV opened up to me. My first long running TV series was Carloline in the City. I also have the sort of odd claim to fame that I am the only actor to play two different fathers to the Olsen twins. In their film Switching Goals as Jerry Stanton and Jake Carlson in their last series So Little Time. I have two great kids Abbey and Ben both teenagers and have returned to the east coast to continue my career in NYC and RI. Being in RI I have returned to my first love – art. My work, which is predominantly nature based with a concentration on marine subjects, can be found at the Charlestown Gallery. Having grown up in Charlestown, I spent a lot of time on the beach and exploring Ninigret pond and my paintings, I hope are an expression of my love for that environment.