Painting
is a language in which an intellectually stimulating idea
must be spoken with precision. Such precision comes by
painting objects from life. All of the artwork on this
site was done completely from life.
I
was born in Philadelphia, grew up in New Jersey and studied
Fine Arts and figure drawing at the School of Visual Arts
in New York City. It was at SVA that I met James McMullan,
whose High Focus Drawing Class was one of my greatest
artistic influences. While in my junior year at SVA I
was invited to participate in an internship with Walt
Disney Feature Animation. After that I participated in
the Walt Disney Mentorship program which ended abruptly
when my mentor disappeared mysteriously from the employment
of Walt Disney Feature Animation.
During
my early years in New York, I would often spend my free
time attending life-drawing sessions at Spring Studio.
I believed then, and believe still, that excellent drawing
skills are prerequisite to the creation of great artwork.
After
graduating from SVA I moved to Arizona and after being
there a short time I began teaching classes at Scottsdale
Artists' School. It was there, oddly enough, that I met
Daniel Greene who became the other great influence on
my work. I spent five summers working with him in his
studio in North Salem, NY. There is an interesting story
which resulted in Daniel buying a portrait I did in one
of his workshops which happened to be my first portrait
sale.
After
many years and many heartbreaking attempts It was finally
determined that I was not "Disney material"
(which I'm sure is a synthetic blend). It was then that
I began painting. (It may be of interest to note that
I did not begin painting in oil until after I graduated
from art school.) Having no job to keep me busy all day,
and no money to hire models I began painting still-lifes
for no other reason then to practice painting. I had no
preconceived idea of a style or a desire to be known as
a "Realist Painter"or a "Fine Artist".
I figured that while I was practicing, I would try to
incorporate, just slightly, the idea of adding a human
quality to the objects I was painting or "anthropomorphizing".
I admit, it is difficult to see this element of my work
from the images on this web site. I have always been a
fan of the movies and acting and often imagine that the
objects in my still-lifes are actors on a stage. The story
behind the paintings titled "Curtain Call" was
that they were finished with their performance and taking
a bow, which is why they are lined up on stage. Taking
the idea further I decided to paint a more complete narrative
where a stage play was actually the main theme of the
painting. The painting with the masks in it titled "Almost"
is the first in this new series of which several more
will follow.
I
am currently back on the East Coast and although I no
longer live in Arizona I continue to teach workshops all
over the world.
My
work is currently being shown in many private collections,
both national and international. My collectors include
CEO's, actors and actresses, several well known artists,
and prominent businessmen and women. Please contact me
if you should like to request any more detailed information.
